I realize I haven't done any movie reviews in a very long time, but I will soon, I promise. I've actually WATCHED a lot, so I will get to those soon. But I wanna talk about something different today.
I had applied Early Decision to Rice University, and I got my decision today. I was, of course, denied. Now, I'm going to be honest and say that I'm heartbroken. I can't really imagine myself at any other college. Rice is beautiful and amazing and easily my first choice by light-years. Also, and I wouldn't even tell my friends this, but between you and me, I had actually built up hopes of getting in. I know I shouldn't have, I'm not nearly a strong enough applicant in ANY way to warrant my having thought I could get in, but... I don't know, I couldn't help myself. I guess I suffered from delusions of grandeur, albeit very cautiously and warily the whole time.
So now I've been denied. It feels like every insecurity I've had that I thought might be true has suddenly been confirmed. What to do, what to do...? I don't know.
I also got an acceptance to University of Houston, but that was my safety school and I believe I had guaranteed admission anyway because of my GPA and SAT scores, so that's small consolation. Not that it's a bad school by any means at all, but... *Sigh* Hopefully I at least get into UT Austin, which is a high second choice and the only other school I've applied to.
To anybody else out there who's waiting on application decisions, I wish you better luck than I had.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Movie of the Day (Part 2): Lincoln
Watched this in theaters yesterday, my thoughts follow. (I also watched Argo, that'll be part of my next post.)
Basic Premise: The story of the last few months of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's life, including his family life, the passage of the 13th Amendment, and the end of the Civil War.
Verdict: This is a Spielberg-directed movie starring everyone from Daniel Day-Lewis to Joseph Gordon-Levitt to to Sally Fields to Tommy Lee Jones. Is there any way this movie could not be great? Daniel Day-Lewis's acting is absolutely phenomenal, and I'll be shocked if he doesn't at least get a nomination for Best Lead Actor this year. He completely disappeared into the role, I couldn't even recognize him. Also notable is the dialogue. This is a period piece, obviously, and accents aren't enough to convey that. Also, this is the story of political backdoor dealings and personal family troubles, so this needs some very exciting and involving dialogue to carry it. This movie does that for sure; the dialogue is fast-paced to the point of almost losing me at times, so keep your ears open. The fashion and sets and directing were all wonderful, of course, as well as everything on a technical level, and the acting was tres fantastique from everyone involved. 9/10
Favorite Line: Tommy Lee Jones's character was just awesome, by the way. "The greatest measure of the 19th century passed by corruption aided and abetted by the purest man in the nation." Wonderful.
Basic Premise: The story of the last few months of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's life, including his family life, the passage of the 13th Amendment, and the end of the Civil War.
Verdict: This is a Spielberg-directed movie starring everyone from Daniel Day-Lewis to Joseph Gordon-Levitt to to Sally Fields to Tommy Lee Jones. Is there any way this movie could not be great? Daniel Day-Lewis's acting is absolutely phenomenal, and I'll be shocked if he doesn't at least get a nomination for Best Lead Actor this year. He completely disappeared into the role, I couldn't even recognize him. Also notable is the dialogue. This is a period piece, obviously, and accents aren't enough to convey that. Also, this is the story of political backdoor dealings and personal family troubles, so this needs some very exciting and involving dialogue to carry it. This movie does that for sure; the dialogue is fast-paced to the point of almost losing me at times, so keep your ears open. The fashion and sets and directing were all wonderful, of course, as well as everything on a technical level, and the acting was tres fantastique from everyone involved. 9/10
Favorite Line: Tommy Lee Jones's character was just awesome, by the way. "The greatest measure of the 19th century passed by corruption aided and abetted by the purest man in the nation." Wonderful.
Movie of the Day (Part 1): You've Got Mail
One of the best examples of romantic comedies that most people have never seen, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. I'd seen this one before, but it was on TV a few days ago, so hey, I rewatched it, and it was great as before!
Basic Premise: Two people (Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks) are opposing book store owners and professional nemeses in the workplace, where they hate each other, but at home they carry on an anonymous online relationship, where they fall in love. Zaniness ensues.
Verdict: This is really a charming little twist on the romantic comedy genre, if you think about it, and it's certainly due in great part to the late, great Nora Ephron, the director and screenwriter of this movie. Has anyone else taken such strides to elevating the romantic comedy from a guilty pleasure to an art form? I doubt it. The characters are very personal and well-developed people, and the crackling dialogue, between emotional monologues or pleas and witty and comedic repartee, is brilliant at times. Also, the premise itself has dramatic irony built into it, such comedic potential that's used so well. Every interaction between Tom Hanks's character and Meg Ryan's character, online or oflline, is wonderfully twisted and complex while being simply hilarious. I recognize that it's a little cheesy, as romcoms are wont to be, but it might be the better for it. Romantic comedies are one of my favorite genres, and this is one of the best. Check it out, check it out. 9/10
Favorite Line: All the best dialogue moments in this movie are full conversations with layers of meaning behind them, and it's all very wonderful. As far as a single wonderful line goes, this one is wonderful. "The odd thing about this form of communication is that you're more likely to talk about nothing than something. But I just want to say that all this nothing has meant more to me than so many somethings. So, thanks."
Basic Premise: Two people (Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks) are opposing book store owners and professional nemeses in the workplace, where they hate each other, but at home they carry on an anonymous online relationship, where they fall in love. Zaniness ensues.
Verdict: This is really a charming little twist on the romantic comedy genre, if you think about it, and it's certainly due in great part to the late, great Nora Ephron, the director and screenwriter of this movie. Has anyone else taken such strides to elevating the romantic comedy from a guilty pleasure to an art form? I doubt it. The characters are very personal and well-developed people, and the crackling dialogue, between emotional monologues or pleas and witty and comedic repartee, is brilliant at times. Also, the premise itself has dramatic irony built into it, such comedic potential that's used so well. Every interaction between Tom Hanks's character and Meg Ryan's character, online or oflline, is wonderfully twisted and complex while being simply hilarious. I recognize that it's a little cheesy, as romcoms are wont to be, but it might be the better for it. Romantic comedies are one of my favorite genres, and this is one of the best. Check it out, check it out. 9/10
Favorite Line: All the best dialogue moments in this movie are full conversations with layers of meaning behind them, and it's all very wonderful. As far as a single wonderful line goes, this one is wonderful. "The odd thing about this form of communication is that you're more likely to talk about nothing than something. But I just want to say that all this nothing has meant more to me than so many somethings. So, thanks."
Play of the Day: The Laramie Project
I don't know much about theatre, so this should be a quick note with just my thoughts on the play. I went last week and saw my school's performance of the play The Laramie Project.
Basic Premise: The Laramie Project is a play about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming.
Verdict: I thought this was quite an interesting play. Obviously, it brings to attention the issue of anti-homosexual discrimination, which I strongly believe should be ended immediately. It does a really good job of showing that the goal isn't even necessarily that everyone should be completely okay with homosexual relationships and such, it's more... Live and let live. Some really cool techniques that I hadn't seen in a play before, such as multiple reporters talking at the same time or one person singing while the narrator speaks. I also thought the format of interviews of the townspeople was really inventive. Some scenes were also really moving, certainly. Certainly worth watching if you can see a performance, and I hear it's a movie too, so you might check that out. I'd say this was an... 8.35/10. (Yay for arbitrary and oddly specific scores!)
Basic Premise: The Laramie Project is a play about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming.
Verdict: I thought this was quite an interesting play. Obviously, it brings to attention the issue of anti-homosexual discrimination, which I strongly believe should be ended immediately. It does a really good job of showing that the goal isn't even necessarily that everyone should be completely okay with homosexual relationships and such, it's more... Live and let live. Some really cool techniques that I hadn't seen in a play before, such as multiple reporters talking at the same time or one person singing while the narrator speaks. I also thought the format of interviews of the townspeople was really inventive. Some scenes were also really moving, certainly. Certainly worth watching if you can see a performance, and I hear it's a movie too, so you might check that out. I'd say this was an... 8.35/10. (Yay for arbitrary and oddly specific scores!)
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Movie of the Day: Ratatouille
I've seen this one before, of course, but this, my friend's favorite Pixar movie, was on TV yesterday, so I had to record it and sit down and watch it. (My favorite is probably Finding Nemo, for the record, with The Incredibles being a close second.)
The Basic Premise: A rat in Paris wants to be a chef and finds a human to help him out, and chaos ensues.
The Verdict: Do I even need to say how great this movie is? The action/chase sequences are some of the most exciting ever, especially considering that they're animated. The emotions and characters and themes are all beautiful, of course. (The scene of Anton eating Ratatouille comes to mind. <3 ) Also, the animation is visually astonishing (like wide shots of Paris at night are gorgeous to an absurd degree, and ethereal Gusteau is impressive). Also, can we take a minute to acknowledge the soundtrack and score, please? What BEAUTIFUL music. Listen to this.
The Basic Premise: A rat in Paris wants to be a chef and finds a human to help him out, and chaos ensues.
The Verdict: Do I even need to say how great this movie is? The action/chase sequences are some of the most exciting ever, especially considering that they're animated. The emotions and characters and themes are all beautiful, of course. (The scene of Anton eating Ratatouille comes to mind. <3 ) Also, the animation is visually astonishing (like wide shots of Paris at night are gorgeous to an absurd degree, and ethereal Gusteau is impressive). Also, can we take a minute to acknowledge the soundtrack and score, please? What BEAUTIFUL music. Listen to this.
How beautiful is this music? And how fitting to the atmosphere of the movie? And I love that the melody is incorporated into the score itself in key scenes of the movie.
All in all, this is an absolutely wonderful movie, a truly immersive experience. Pixar delivers a movie enjoyable by all once again. 9.7/10
Favorite Line: "Anyone can cook!"
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
College Hopes and Plans
I think I suggested a long while back that I would post about my college plans at some point, so I figure now's as good a time as any.
First choice school, to which I've applied Early Decision, is Rice University. Oh, that campus! That atmosphere! Those academics! Everything is so perfect there.
Second choice school, to which I will probably be accepted, is University of Texas at Austin. If this is where I end up going, I won't be too disappointed at all. It's a great school, great city, and I have friends there, so that'll be fine.
The only other school to which I am applying is the University of Houston (the main campus). Good school as well, and rapidly improving, but this is my safety school, so obviously not my first choice.
I'd like to study Physics, is the plan, and I would also really like to take some film courses, depending especially on the school I end up going to.
*Crosses fingers* Wish me luck!
First choice school, to which I've applied Early Decision, is Rice University. Oh, that campus! That atmosphere! Those academics! Everything is so perfect there.
Second choice school, to which I will probably be accepted, is University of Texas at Austin. If this is where I end up going, I won't be too disappointed at all. It's a great school, great city, and I have friends there, so that'll be fine.
The only other school to which I am applying is the University of Houston (the main campus). Good school as well, and rapidly improving, but this is my safety school, so obviously not my first choice.
I'd like to study Physics, is the plan, and I would also really like to take some film courses, depending especially on the school I end up going to.
*Crosses fingers* Wish me luck!
Movie of the Day: Being John Malkovich
After Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which I loved, I was really looking forward to whichever Charlie Kaufman-penned movie I would watch next. My two options were Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. This one seemed more interesting and was the one I knew less about, so I decided on this.
The Basic Premise: Puppeteer Craig Schwartz finds a portal which takes you literally into actor John Malkovich's body and mind. Chaos ensues. (Now, don't let this mislead you. There's a good half an hour of movie before Craig ever finds the portal. This is a very character-and-conflict-driven movie. Very hard to explain all of the crazy things that go on in this movie.)
The Verdict: This is possibly the oddest film I've ever seen. Like, the craziness of premise, of gags and jokes, even of third-act plot devices, is off the charts. This is a fantasy/sci-fi dramedy (emphasis on the comedy) at its core, and it does all of these things well. It is absolutely laugh out loud funny at some points, emotionally compelling at others, sometimes just on the verge of both with dark situational humor. It's really a bizarre movie.
Now, it's also hailed as one of the greatest screenplays ever written, and I think I'd have to disagree, given the insertion of several third act plot points to resolve the story how it should be and a lot of on-the-nose dialogue. On the other hand, the shoehorning of plot points almost adds to the weirdness of the movie, which may be the end goal. Also, I tried explaining the basic plot of this movie to a friend today, and it would probably take me longer than the length of the movie to sort out all of the insane character relationships and stuff in a retelling, so maybe it was more concise than I thought.
Regardless, it's a movie that's almost too weird to judge. As far as enjoyability and achieving the writer's and director's vision goes, I'm gonna give this an 8.8/10.
Favorite Line: "You don't know how lucky you are being a monkey. Because consciousness is a terrible curse. I think. I feel. I suffer. And all I ask in return is the opportunity to do my work. And they won't allow it... because I raise issues." Sittin' at home alone, talking to his pet monkey about how his whole life is a paradoxical failure... Pretty effectively shows that Craig's both pathetic and discontented with his life.
The Basic Premise: Puppeteer Craig Schwartz finds a portal which takes you literally into actor John Malkovich's body and mind. Chaos ensues. (Now, don't let this mislead you. There's a good half an hour of movie before Craig ever finds the portal. This is a very character-and-conflict-driven movie. Very hard to explain all of the crazy things that go on in this movie.)
The Verdict: This is possibly the oddest film I've ever seen. Like, the craziness of premise, of gags and jokes, even of third-act plot devices, is off the charts. This is a fantasy/sci-fi dramedy (emphasis on the comedy) at its core, and it does all of these things well. It is absolutely laugh out loud funny at some points, emotionally compelling at others, sometimes just on the verge of both with dark situational humor. It's really a bizarre movie.
Now, it's also hailed as one of the greatest screenplays ever written, and I think I'd have to disagree, given the insertion of several third act plot points to resolve the story how it should be and a lot of on-the-nose dialogue. On the other hand, the shoehorning of plot points almost adds to the weirdness of the movie, which may be the end goal. Also, I tried explaining the basic plot of this movie to a friend today, and it would probably take me longer than the length of the movie to sort out all of the insane character relationships and stuff in a retelling, so maybe it was more concise than I thought.
Regardless, it's a movie that's almost too weird to judge. As far as enjoyability and achieving the writer's and director's vision goes, I'm gonna give this an 8.8/10.
Favorite Line: "You don't know how lucky you are being a monkey. Because consciousness is a terrible curse. I think. I feel. I suffer. And all I ask in return is the opportunity to do my work. And they won't allow it... because I raise issues." Sittin' at home alone, talking to his pet monkey about how his whole life is a paradoxical failure... Pretty effectively shows that Craig's both pathetic and discontented with his life.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Movies of the Day: (Quickie Time!) The Brothers Bloom, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Moulin Rouge!, Amelie, and City Lights, Catch Me If You Can, To Kill A Mockingbird
I've seen a lot of movies over the past few weeks, as you can tell, and I've just been so behind on these reviews. I almost wanted to just skip them, but there were so many amazing ones, I couldn't bring myself to just skip them. So, in the hopes of getting back on track, I'm gonna review them, but try to keep them a tad shorter.
The Brothers Bloom
And with this, possibly (and probably) the greatest conman movie I've ever seen, Rian Johnson (otherwise known for Brick and, another movie on my top movies list, Looper) enters my list of favorite writer-directors. That's the same list that Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino are on, so that's saying something. This movie is amazing and, as a friend put it, is truly art. 10/10
Favorite Line: "The perfect con is one where everyone involved gets just what they wanted." A great example of a fantastic line in and of itself that takes on new meanings and nuances after you watch the film.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Believe it or not, though this movie is 12th on the IMDB top 250 movies of all time, I'm not a huge fan. It's quite good, and I can certainly understand why it's held in such high regard, but it's not quite my cup of tea. I found that the plot was a little slow at times and Nurse Ratched wasn't nearly as evil as I was led to believe. I'm sure a lot of my reaction was because of the high expectations I had going into it, though. The film makes an extremely interesting statement about freedom and society and is an interesting character study that, for once, doesn't try to elevate clinical insanity to some quality that just makes someone "special" and "see things differently". Some great lines and scenes in this one, too, and a strong ending. It's certainly a movie I can appreciate intellectually, just not particularly enjoy. Let's say... 7.5/10 for me.
Favorite Line: "But I tried, didn't I? Goddamnit, at least I did that." Verging on cliched, but the scene that comes before it, filled with reversals of expectations, justifies it, and it's a really skillful statement of one of the themes of the movie, something to tie the rest together.
Moulin Rouge!
This one verges on a guilty pleasure, but this movie embraces everything it is, which is something like the dark underbelly of a campy circus musical mixed with a Greek tragedy with a bittersweet ending, which makes it perfectly all right to love this, which I do. From the opening credits with the animated conductor, the very get-go, I knew I was in for something special, and when it hit the "Zidler's Rap (Medley)", which is a mash-up of "Zidler's Rap", "Lady Marmalade", and "Smells Like Teen Spirit", I couldn't keep the smile off my face. This movie had the effect that a favorite of mine, "(500) Days of Summer", had on me, which was to depress me and restore my faith in love all at once. The cinematography and direction were surprising to an absurd degree, to the point that I almost trust Baz Luhrmann to do my favorite novel, The Great Gatsby, justice next year (despite it containing two of my least favorite actors, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire). The acting was also great. (A female friend couldn't stop exclaiming, "OH EWAN.") Obviously, I can recognize that the writing is often clumsy and on-the-nose with the wide and overarching themes beating the audience over the head often, but that almost elevates it to another level of storybook magic, like a fairytale. 9/10
Favorite Line: As far as favorite original line goes, since this movie uses many song lyrics as dialogue to great effect, I'd have to go with:
[To the Duke] "This woman is yours now. I've paid my whore."
[To Satine] "I owe you nothing. And you are nothing to me. Thank you for curing me of my ridiculous obsession with love."
The most emotionally compelling and heartbreaking line of the movie by far.
Amelie
This movie is like... a modern fairy tale. Such an original film, unlike anything I've ever seen before. Right down to the care taken in the color scheming and such, you can tell that this movie really was the product of many people's love. Also, one of the most inventive uses of voice-over I've ever seen. It makes for perfect introductions to characters and really makes sure the story doesn't slow down. A really powerful movie that takes someone who believes that if you never take any risks, you can never be disappointed, and shows that that's no way to live. It's charming and quirky and immerses you in its world; it's a romance, an adventure, a comedy, a drama, and much more. Easily in my top 100 films ever. 10/10
Favorite Line: Oh, such a toughie. When in doubt, go with the first lines, which are wonderful.
"On September 3rd 1973, at 6:28pm and 32 seconds, a bluebottle fly capable of 14,670 wing beats a minute landed on Rue St Vincent, Montmartre. At the same moment, on a restaurant terrace nearby, the wind magically made two glasses dance unseen on a tablecloth. Meanwhile, in a 5th-floor flat, 28 Avenue Trudaine, Paris 9, returning from his best friend's funeral, Eugène Colère erased his name from his address book. At the same moment, a sperm with one X chromosome, belonging to Raphaël Poulain, made a dash for an egg in his wife Amandine. Nine months later, Amélie Poulain was born."
City Lights
I'm not a fan of slapstick comedy usually because it's generally just cheap laughs, but Charlie Chaplin has always been the exception to the rule. His writing is always on point. This movie is an absolutely wonderful romance/drama/comedy. Buyer beware, it's a silent film, so it's not for everyone, but it's one of the sweetest love stories I've seen in a long time, and has some incredibly moving and compelling scenes. Not much more to say here, except that if that sort of thing appeals to you (and maybe even if it doesn't), this movie is for you. 8.8/10
Favorite Line: The final line is so moving. "Yes, I can see now."
Catch Me If You Can
Spielberg-directed, John Williams-scored, Leonardo Dicaprio (who for almost the first time acted amazingly), Tom Hanks, and Christopher Walken? Need I say more? It seems that con man stories are instantly interesting to me, and this one is no exception. Such great character development, such great acting and writing, SUCH a great score. If you only watch three movies on this quickies list, they should be The Brothers Bloom, Amelie, and Catch Me If You Can. 10/10
Favorite Line: "Frank, look. Nobody's chasing you." A turning point if ever I've heard one. A verbal revelation.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Adapted from Harper Lee's novel of the same name (which I read in middle school, years ago), this is a powerful movie with a lot to say about equality, justice, courage, and the other important things in life. One of the better adaptations I've seen, but I think this book was made to be a book. The movie can come across a tad episodic and plotless. A lot of my favorite lines were left out, as well, which disappointed me. In particular, my favorite line from the novel was, “Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what,” or something to that effect. Still, some scenes are very powerful to see, and it really brings into focus that these were kids who had to deal with these issues. I'll give this movie... an 8.25/10.
Favorite Line: "There's a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep 'em all away from you. That's never possible." Atticus Finch was voted in many places the greatest hero in film history. It's lines like these that make me wont to agree. What a man.
The Brothers Bloom
And with this, possibly (and probably) the greatest conman movie I've ever seen, Rian Johnson (otherwise known for Brick and, another movie on my top movies list, Looper) enters my list of favorite writer-directors. That's the same list that Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino are on, so that's saying something. This movie is amazing and, as a friend put it, is truly art. 10/10
Favorite Line: "The perfect con is one where everyone involved gets just what they wanted." A great example of a fantastic line in and of itself that takes on new meanings and nuances after you watch the film.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Believe it or not, though this movie is 12th on the IMDB top 250 movies of all time, I'm not a huge fan. It's quite good, and I can certainly understand why it's held in such high regard, but it's not quite my cup of tea. I found that the plot was a little slow at times and Nurse Ratched wasn't nearly as evil as I was led to believe. I'm sure a lot of my reaction was because of the high expectations I had going into it, though. The film makes an extremely interesting statement about freedom and society and is an interesting character study that, for once, doesn't try to elevate clinical insanity to some quality that just makes someone "special" and "see things differently". Some great lines and scenes in this one, too, and a strong ending. It's certainly a movie I can appreciate intellectually, just not particularly enjoy. Let's say... 7.5/10 for me.
Favorite Line: "But I tried, didn't I? Goddamnit, at least I did that." Verging on cliched, but the scene that comes before it, filled with reversals of expectations, justifies it, and it's a really skillful statement of one of the themes of the movie, something to tie the rest together.
Moulin Rouge!
This one verges on a guilty pleasure, but this movie embraces everything it is, which is something like the dark underbelly of a campy circus musical mixed with a Greek tragedy with a bittersweet ending, which makes it perfectly all right to love this, which I do. From the opening credits with the animated conductor, the very get-go, I knew I was in for something special, and when it hit the "Zidler's Rap (Medley)", which is a mash-up of "Zidler's Rap", "Lady Marmalade", and "Smells Like Teen Spirit", I couldn't keep the smile off my face. This movie had the effect that a favorite of mine, "(500) Days of Summer", had on me, which was to depress me and restore my faith in love all at once. The cinematography and direction were surprising to an absurd degree, to the point that I almost trust Baz Luhrmann to do my favorite novel, The Great Gatsby, justice next year (despite it containing two of my least favorite actors, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire). The acting was also great. (A female friend couldn't stop exclaiming, "OH EWAN.") Obviously, I can recognize that the writing is often clumsy and on-the-nose with the wide and overarching themes beating the audience over the head often, but that almost elevates it to another level of storybook magic, like a fairytale. 9/10
Favorite Line: As far as favorite original line goes, since this movie uses many song lyrics as dialogue to great effect, I'd have to go with:
[To the Duke] "This woman is yours now. I've paid my whore."
[To Satine] "I owe you nothing. And you are nothing to me. Thank you for curing me of my ridiculous obsession with love."
The most emotionally compelling and heartbreaking line of the movie by far.
Amelie
This movie is like... a modern fairy tale. Such an original film, unlike anything I've ever seen before. Right down to the care taken in the color scheming and such, you can tell that this movie really was the product of many people's love. Also, one of the most inventive uses of voice-over I've ever seen. It makes for perfect introductions to characters and really makes sure the story doesn't slow down. A really powerful movie that takes someone who believes that if you never take any risks, you can never be disappointed, and shows that that's no way to live. It's charming and quirky and immerses you in its world; it's a romance, an adventure, a comedy, a drama, and much more. Easily in my top 100 films ever. 10/10
Favorite Line: Oh, such a toughie. When in doubt, go with the first lines, which are wonderful.
"On September 3rd 1973, at 6:28pm and 32 seconds, a bluebottle fly capable of 14,670 wing beats a minute landed on Rue St Vincent, Montmartre. At the same moment, on a restaurant terrace nearby, the wind magically made two glasses dance unseen on a tablecloth. Meanwhile, in a 5th-floor flat, 28 Avenue Trudaine, Paris 9, returning from his best friend's funeral, Eugène Colère erased his name from his address book. At the same moment, a sperm with one X chromosome, belonging to Raphaël Poulain, made a dash for an egg in his wife Amandine. Nine months later, Amélie Poulain was born."
City Lights
I'm not a fan of slapstick comedy usually because it's generally just cheap laughs, but Charlie Chaplin has always been the exception to the rule. His writing is always on point. This movie is an absolutely wonderful romance/drama/comedy. Buyer beware, it's a silent film, so it's not for everyone, but it's one of the sweetest love stories I've seen in a long time, and has some incredibly moving and compelling scenes. Not much more to say here, except that if that sort of thing appeals to you (and maybe even if it doesn't), this movie is for you. 8.8/10
Favorite Line: The final line is so moving. "Yes, I can see now."
Catch Me If You Can
Spielberg-directed, John Williams-scored, Leonardo Dicaprio (who for almost the first time acted amazingly), Tom Hanks, and Christopher Walken? Need I say more? It seems that con man stories are instantly interesting to me, and this one is no exception. Such great character development, such great acting and writing, SUCH a great score. If you only watch three movies on this quickies list, they should be The Brothers Bloom, Amelie, and Catch Me If You Can. 10/10
Favorite Line: "Frank, look. Nobody's chasing you." A turning point if ever I've heard one. A verbal revelation.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Adapted from Harper Lee's novel of the same name (which I read in middle school, years ago), this is a powerful movie with a lot to say about equality, justice, courage, and the other important things in life. One of the better adaptations I've seen, but I think this book was made to be a book. The movie can come across a tad episodic and plotless. A lot of my favorite lines were left out, as well, which disappointed me. In particular, my favorite line from the novel was, “Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what,” or something to that effect. Still, some scenes are very powerful to see, and it really brings into focus that these were kids who had to deal with these issues. I'll give this movie... an 8.25/10.
Favorite Line: "There's a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep 'em all away from you. That's never possible." Atticus Finch was voted in many places the greatest hero in film history. It's lines like these that make me wont to agree. What a man.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Music of the Day: Jaymay!
I'm a little back-logged on movie reviews, I've seen a couple I haven't written up yet which I will get to eventually, but with college application deadlines looming, I am a little stressed. This is a quick post to say, merely, that if you have not heard of Jaymay, you need to go listen to her. Now. RIGHT NOW. Here, I'll even get you started.
This is now one of my favorite songs ever. Those lyrics... Gah.
This is also absolutely wonderful.
Just go listen to all of her songs, okay? Okay. I've been darn-near fixated on her music for maybe 4 months now. She just... gets things. Go listen.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Movie of the Day: In Bruges
So I'd heard good things about this movie, and particularly the writing, so I was looking forward to it. I'll get right into it.
The Basic Premise: Two hitmen have a job that goes wrong and are forced to hide out in Bruges (hence the title). Bruges is a city in Belgium, in case you didn't know (which I didn't).
The Verdict: I'm teetering on the edge of "liked it a lot" and "loved it". This movie is beautifully, amazingly, fantastically written. Extremely well-plotted, as nothing is unmotivated, nothing is unexplained, everything leads back to some more important event later. And such well-handled exposition, which is the mark of a strong screenplay. The music's quite nice, too, though it does detract from the tension some moments should have. The directing and acting are very good, but a tad artsy and in-your-face for my taste. You become slightly too aware of the directing, I think, which pulls you out of the immersive experience of an otherwise great movie. Otherwise, though, the screenplay by Martin McDonagh (who also directed it) astounds. If nothing else, Martin McDonagh has a new fan in me, he's definitely one to watch. I need to watch Seven Psychopaths now; it's his second writing/directing feature and is in theaters currently. I'll give this an 8.8/10, but the screenplay alone gets a 10/10.
Favorite Line: Very tough choice, since this movie functions so well as a drama and a crime story and a comedy and so much more, all of which is due to some fantastic lines, but I think the very first line of the movie is one of the most gripping first lines I've ever heard, and it really sets up the flexible tone of the rest of the movie. "After I killed him, I dropped the gun in the Thames, washed the residue off me hands in the bathroom of a Burger King, and walked home to await instructions. Shortly thereafter the instructions came through - 'Get the f*** out of London, you dumb f***s. Get to Bruges.' I didn't even know where Bruges f***ing was. *Pause* It's in Belgium."
The Basic Premise: Two hitmen have a job that goes wrong and are forced to hide out in Bruges (hence the title). Bruges is a city in Belgium, in case you didn't know (which I didn't).
The Verdict: I'm teetering on the edge of "liked it a lot" and "loved it". This movie is beautifully, amazingly, fantastically written. Extremely well-plotted, as nothing is unmotivated, nothing is unexplained, everything leads back to some more important event later. And such well-handled exposition, which is the mark of a strong screenplay. The music's quite nice, too, though it does detract from the tension some moments should have. The directing and acting are very good, but a tad artsy and in-your-face for my taste. You become slightly too aware of the directing, I think, which pulls you out of the immersive experience of an otherwise great movie. Otherwise, though, the screenplay by Martin McDonagh (who also directed it) astounds. If nothing else, Martin McDonagh has a new fan in me, he's definitely one to watch. I need to watch Seven Psychopaths now; it's his second writing/directing feature and is in theaters currently. I'll give this an 8.8/10, but the screenplay alone gets a 10/10.
Favorite Line: Very tough choice, since this movie functions so well as a drama and a crime story and a comedy and so much more, all of which is due to some fantastic lines, but I think the very first line of the movie is one of the most gripping first lines I've ever heard, and it really sets up the flexible tone of the rest of the movie. "After I killed him, I dropped the gun in the Thames, washed the residue off me hands in the bathroom of a Burger King, and walked home to await instructions. Shortly thereafter the instructions came through - 'Get the f*** out of London, you dumb f***s. Get to Bruges.' I didn't even know where Bruges f***ing was. *Pause* It's in Belgium."
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Movie of the Day: Looper
"What?! He's going to talk about a movie that is current and relevant?! What a twist of events!"
So, as the trailer shows, Looper is basically about a hitman who kills people sent back through time by the mafia, but one day future-him comes back through time, and he lets himself escape, and chaos ensues.
This movie was written and directed by Rian Johnson, of Brick fame. That movie, a cult classic at this point, also effectively launched the career of another incredibly talented actor (one of my favorites) and the star of the movie at hand, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. (I recommend Brick if you haven't seen it, by the way; modern film noir in a high school setting might be as intriguing as it gets.)
Now, I don't know if I'm just really easily pleased or I just happen to watch a lot of good movies, but I've given a lot of high scores in the reviews on here. Looper, though, deserves the high score I'm obviously going to give it, without a doubt in my mind. For being one of my most anticipated movies of the fall season and having been given very high ratings by all of my favorite Youtube reviewers, Looper still managed to impress beyond any of my expectations.
How do I love Looper, you ask? Let me count the ways. The exposition is handled perfectly, which is the mark of a masterful screenplay. JGL's acting is phenomenal, he completely disappears into the role (like he does in every other role of his). Emily Blunt and Pierce Gognan truly surprised with their acting chops. Rian Johnson's writing is impeccable, layered with complexity but understood with simplicity. His directing style is risky in all the right ways, with all the perfect payoffs; he takes his time when he's supposed to, skips over what he should, is fragile when he needs to be and aggressive when he needs to be. AND THAT ENDING. Perfection. Just perfection. Every time I think of the ending, right down to the song during the credits, I just get a deep feeling of satisfaction somewhere deep inside my stomach. I love it. I'm a little suspicious of the IMDB Top 250 list, but this movie definitely deserves its place on that list. It should probably be higher, even. This rating is solidified in my head the more I think about it. 10/10
Favorite line: Can't type it here, both for fear of spoiling it and because I don't remember it word for word, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt's final voice-over monologue of the movie. Perfection. Rian Johnson is really one to watch.
So, as the trailer shows, Looper is basically about a hitman who kills people sent back through time by the mafia, but one day future-him comes back through time, and he lets himself escape, and chaos ensues.
This movie was written and directed by Rian Johnson, of Brick fame. That movie, a cult classic at this point, also effectively launched the career of another incredibly talented actor (one of my favorites) and the star of the movie at hand, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. (I recommend Brick if you haven't seen it, by the way; modern film noir in a high school setting might be as intriguing as it gets.)
Now, I don't know if I'm just really easily pleased or I just happen to watch a lot of good movies, but I've given a lot of high scores in the reviews on here. Looper, though, deserves the high score I'm obviously going to give it, without a doubt in my mind. For being one of my most anticipated movies of the fall season and having been given very high ratings by all of my favorite Youtube reviewers, Looper still managed to impress beyond any of my expectations.
How do I love Looper, you ask? Let me count the ways. The exposition is handled perfectly, which is the mark of a masterful screenplay. JGL's acting is phenomenal, he completely disappears into the role (like he does in every other role of his). Emily Blunt and Pierce Gognan truly surprised with their acting chops. Rian Johnson's writing is impeccable, layered with complexity but understood with simplicity. His directing style is risky in all the right ways, with all the perfect payoffs; he takes his time when he's supposed to, skips over what he should, is fragile when he needs to be and aggressive when he needs to be. AND THAT ENDING. Perfection. Just perfection. Every time I think of the ending, right down to the song during the credits, I just get a deep feeling of satisfaction somewhere deep inside my stomach. I love it. I'm a little suspicious of the IMDB Top 250 list, but this movie definitely deserves its place on that list. It should probably be higher, even. This rating is solidified in my head the more I think about it. 10/10
Favorite line: Can't type it here, both for fear of spoiling it and because I don't remember it word for word, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt's final voice-over monologue of the movie. Perfection. Rian Johnson is really one to watch.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Movies of the Day: Vertigo and Jaws
Yes, this is indeed the first time I am watching both of these movies. STOP WITH THE CONDESCENDING DISAPPOINTMENT, I KNOW I'M A FAILURE AS A MOVIE BUFF. I'm working on it, I am.
Vertigo
So, this is the movie that was voted by critics everywhere as the greatest film of all time this year in the Sight & Sound poll, beating out Citizen Kane, which won for the last five years consecutively, and also was named by the American Film Institute as the greatest movie in the Mystery genre, beating out Chinatown. I'm not the biggest fan of Citizen Kane (I'm not "drinking the Kool-Aid", as they say), but it IS a great movie and I know it's a big deal, and I AM a huge fan of Chinatown, so I was curious to see this.
Verdict? It's pretty darn good. Better than the other Hitchcock movies I've seen for sure. Rear Window's one fault is that it's entirely too predictable and convenient, though it is an exciting mystery/thriller. Psycho was spoiled for me, so that may have something to do with it, but it seems to me that Psycho has a lot of weak writing mixed in among all of the strong writing. I haven't seen any other Hitchcock yet, but Vertigo's undoubtedly the best. It functions well as a romance, a mystery, a thriller, a redemption story, a domestic drama, and more. A lot of deep characterization and a very interesting and compellingly twisting plot.
That's not to say it doesn't have its problems. After as instantly exciting first scene, the story grinds to a halt and has a scene purely in the story for really sloppy exposition and on-the-nose dialogue. There's a lot of, "Oh, as you and I both already know but I'm going to tell you again anyway, Midge..." which just makes the whole scene fail for me and really pulled me out of the movie and made me skeptical for the rest of the movie. Also, the plot IS a little... far-fetched, in hindsight. A little convenient. These things are relatively forgivable, though, on the strength of the rest of the movie. I will say that I think Citizen Kane and Chinatown are MUCH better movies, by far. I'll give Vertigo an 8/10.
Favorite line: "Only one is a wanderer; two together are always going somewhere." A good line in general, elevated to great by the romantic subtext and even deeper layers of meaning in hindsight.
Jaws
Spielberg, man. I think we've all heard of Jaws. Needless to say, it's great, a MASTERCLASS on everything from screenwriting to directing to acting to composing. First things first, DAT SCORE. Oh my gosh, how eerie is the shark's theme? I could have sworn my heart stopped beating every time it started playing. The rest of the score is reminiscent of pirate music, too, which is cool. So go John Williams.
Next, the screenwriting. I got on Vertigo's case above for its weak and forced exposition, so watching Jaws right afterwards was like a breath of fresh air. In the first two scenes, the screenwriters almost overload us with information, but they do it so eloquently that we almost don't notice: there is a shark in the water, it's killing people, Martin Brody is the chief of police on Amity Island, he's new here from New York, and he totally has no idea what he's doing or how things work here. That's the first five minutes of the movie or so. And the dialogue is brilliant because it's character-specific, humorous while still being fitting to a thriller, and really reveals conflict without being on-the-nose about it.
And the directing. OHMIGOSH. This movie is TERRIFYING at times. I was SCREAMING at the screen right before the second shark attack, "GET OUT OF THE WATER!" Todd Alcott, a screenwriter (whose website you should check out at toddalcott.com) also talks about how Spielberg creates a visual scheme throughout the movie of the fact that, as long as you are out of the water, you're safe, but if you're in the water, all bets are off. Hence Chief Brody being scared of the water. And it really does work, too. Spielberg knows how to create suspense.
As for the acting, it's great acting.
I'm gonna give Jaws a 9.5/10. Just wish I'd seen it earlier.
Favorite line: The one that's most famous, of course: "You're gonna need a bigger boat."
Vertigo
So, this is the movie that was voted by critics everywhere as the greatest film of all time this year in the Sight & Sound poll, beating out Citizen Kane, which won for the last five years consecutively, and also was named by the American Film Institute as the greatest movie in the Mystery genre, beating out Chinatown. I'm not the biggest fan of Citizen Kane (I'm not "drinking the Kool-Aid", as they say), but it IS a great movie and I know it's a big deal, and I AM a huge fan of Chinatown, so I was curious to see this.
Verdict? It's pretty darn good. Better than the other Hitchcock movies I've seen for sure. Rear Window's one fault is that it's entirely too predictable and convenient, though it is an exciting mystery/thriller. Psycho was spoiled for me, so that may have something to do with it, but it seems to me that Psycho has a lot of weak writing mixed in among all of the strong writing. I haven't seen any other Hitchcock yet, but Vertigo's undoubtedly the best. It functions well as a romance, a mystery, a thriller, a redemption story, a domestic drama, and more. A lot of deep characterization and a very interesting and compellingly twisting plot.
That's not to say it doesn't have its problems. After as instantly exciting first scene, the story grinds to a halt and has a scene purely in the story for really sloppy exposition and on-the-nose dialogue. There's a lot of, "Oh, as you and I both already know but I'm going to tell you again anyway, Midge..." which just makes the whole scene fail for me and really pulled me out of the movie and made me skeptical for the rest of the movie. Also, the plot IS a little... far-fetched, in hindsight. A little convenient. These things are relatively forgivable, though, on the strength of the rest of the movie. I will say that I think Citizen Kane and Chinatown are MUCH better movies, by far. I'll give Vertigo an 8/10.
Favorite line: "Only one is a wanderer; two together are always going somewhere." A good line in general, elevated to great by the romantic subtext and even deeper layers of meaning in hindsight.
Jaws
Spielberg, man. I think we've all heard of Jaws. Needless to say, it's great, a MASTERCLASS on everything from screenwriting to directing to acting to composing. First things first, DAT SCORE. Oh my gosh, how eerie is the shark's theme? I could have sworn my heart stopped beating every time it started playing. The rest of the score is reminiscent of pirate music, too, which is cool. So go John Williams.
Next, the screenwriting. I got on Vertigo's case above for its weak and forced exposition, so watching Jaws right afterwards was like a breath of fresh air. In the first two scenes, the screenwriters almost overload us with information, but they do it so eloquently that we almost don't notice: there is a shark in the water, it's killing people, Martin Brody is the chief of police on Amity Island, he's new here from New York, and he totally has no idea what he's doing or how things work here. That's the first five minutes of the movie or so. And the dialogue is brilliant because it's character-specific, humorous while still being fitting to a thriller, and really reveals conflict without being on-the-nose about it.
And the directing. OHMIGOSH. This movie is TERRIFYING at times. I was SCREAMING at the screen right before the second shark attack, "GET OUT OF THE WATER!" Todd Alcott, a screenwriter (whose website you should check out at toddalcott.com) also talks about how Spielberg creates a visual scheme throughout the movie of the fact that, as long as you are out of the water, you're safe, but if you're in the water, all bets are off. Hence Chief Brody being scared of the water. And it really does work, too. Spielberg knows how to create suspense.
As for the acting, it's great acting.
I'm gonna give Jaws a 9.5/10. Just wish I'd seen it earlier.
Favorite line: The one that's most famous, of course: "You're gonna need a bigger boat."
Monday, September 17, 2012
Movie of the Day (Part 2): Fracture
Ryan Gosling and Anthony Hopkins? A good review from Chris Stuckmann, one of my favorite Youtube movie reviewers? An enthralling premise? This I gotta see.
So, Anthony Hopkins kills his wife. (Not a spoiler, it's almost the first thing that happens in the movie.) The investigating officer is the guy she was having an affair with. (Also not a spoiler, you figure that out right after he kills her.) And Ryan Gosling is the Deputy D.A. who decides to take one last case, what he thinks will be an open-and-shut case, before he leaves his current job for a better one... Until things don't go as planned. (When do they ever?)
Whoa, nelly. This movie was a real shocker. Fantastic writing and acting by all involved. Not a fan of the directing style or the musical score myself, they seemed to get a little too... in your face at times, like they felt the need to make their presence known. But this movie really works because of dense and deftly handled writing and great character development of the protagonist which is a product of great writing and great acting. Also, Anthony Hopkins's character is one of the more interesting antagonists I've seen in movies lately. I'd highly suggest you check this movie out if you have a thing for thrillers, courtroom dramas, non-courtroom dramas, or cool characters in general. I'm gonna give this a 9/10.
Favorite line: I think I'd go with, "You're a winner, Willy." I think that's the first point at which you know that Ryan Gosling's character is... in over his head, to say the least.
So, Anthony Hopkins kills his wife. (Not a spoiler, it's almost the first thing that happens in the movie.) The investigating officer is the guy she was having an affair with. (Also not a spoiler, you figure that out right after he kills her.) And Ryan Gosling is the Deputy D.A. who decides to take one last case, what he thinks will be an open-and-shut case, before he leaves his current job for a better one... Until things don't go as planned. (When do they ever?)
Whoa, nelly. This movie was a real shocker. Fantastic writing and acting by all involved. Not a fan of the directing style or the musical score myself, they seemed to get a little too... in your face at times, like they felt the need to make their presence known. But this movie really works because of dense and deftly handled writing and great character development of the protagonist which is a product of great writing and great acting. Also, Anthony Hopkins's character is one of the more interesting antagonists I've seen in movies lately. I'd highly suggest you check this movie out if you have a thing for thrillers, courtroom dramas, non-courtroom dramas, or cool characters in general. I'm gonna give this a 9/10.
Favorite line: I think I'd go with, "You're a winner, Willy." I think that's the first point at which you know that Ryan Gosling's character is... in over his head, to say the least.
Movies of the Day: Lord of the Rings Trilogy
I finally did it. I finally sat down and watched all of the Lord of the Rings movies. And, yes, I loved the whole trilogy. I'll address each one individually.
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
This one was my least favorite of the trilogy, definitely. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it was pretty predictable, and there was a lot left to be desired. A lot of the dialogue was bland and there was a lot of telling, not showing, which breaks one of the cardinal rules of screenwriting. But, as an introduction to characters and themes, a setup of the grandiose and immersive world, and an emotionally compelling story, it was really good, no doubt. That I didn't think it was perfect is blasphemy, I'm sure, but I calls 'em as I sees 'em. I think an 8 is pushing it, so I'm gonna give this a 7.75/10.
Favorite line: A lot of epic sounding dialogue in this one. Maybe, "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future." Simple statement of theme that worked for what it was.
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
So I was obviously somewhat disappointed by the first installment of the series. "Is this what all the hype is about?" I thought. But, I was still interested in the fates of characters who I was now emotionally invested in, so I sat down to watch this feeling wary but optimistic.
Oh. My. God.
This one was SO GOOD. Gollum is one of the more interesting and compelling characters I've ever seen on film, and the other characters really came into their own as well. And the writing fixed a lot of the problems I had with the first one, keeping the long-winded monologues to a minimum, not painting bad people as all bad and good people as all good and nothing else, showing instead of telling. AND THE HELM'S DEEP FIGHT SCENE. HOLY CRUD. I'm not sure I've seen many other things as exciting as that. Probably my favorite of the trilogy, and I now get what all the hype is about. Must credit the directing and acting for that. Couple of little things here and there, though, so not a perfect rating, but pretty close. 9.75/10
Favorite line: Oh, I actually have to declare a tie. First, of course, "My precious." CHILLS. Smeagol/Gollum is the Darth Vader of Lord of the Rings, and the fact that I bought his inner dilemma and even sympathized with him is a testament to the writing and Andy Serkis's acting. And then, as Aragorn says, "There is always hope." Cheesy, I know, but... I found it worked. Inspiring.
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Another really really great movie. This one comes in just below The Two Towers for me, because I had a few pacing problems with it, especially near the end, but some of the scenes, some of the themes, man, they just got me. Also, the directing in this movie is fantastic. Minus some pacing problems, the fight scenes, the intercutting of story lines, some of the most suspenseful scenes I've ever seen in any movie ever... phew, man. I realized at a certain point that EVERY time the scene cut to a different set of characters, I was thinking, "Darnit, I wanted to see what happened!" meaning I was equally invested in every character. The fight scenes were epic in scope, and the fact that Peter Jackson didn't shy away from showing soldiers dying left and right shows that he wasn't trying to give anyone any easy answers. He embraced the moral ambiguity of the trilogy, which is great. And some scenes were Hitchcockian in suspense. I mean, there was a scene where I was literally cowering behind my arms and hands between my face and the screen. It was terrifying. (For those of you who've seen it, the scene with Shelob and Frodo in the canyon.) I solely disliked the length of the epilogue and some parts of the last scenes between Frodo and Sam, which I thought really dragged on and really pulled me out of the experience, and for that it'll be a little below perfect. 9.5/10
Favorite line: Hmm... This is gonna be a long one. "Hold your ground, hold your ground! Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!" Was stuck between almost crying tears of pure inspiration and getting up and beating someone up after this one. Anything that can do that... Kudos.
Trilogy as a whole
After seeing the whole thing, this is one of the greatest full trilogies or series I have ever seen. Action/Adventure/Fantasy/Family/Comedy/Tragedy/War/Epic... This does every genre justice. I may have some minor problems with each installment, but... you know what? Overall, the whole trilogy easily joins my list of favorite movies. Gotta love it when the sum is greater than the parts. 10/10
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
This one was my least favorite of the trilogy, definitely. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it was pretty predictable, and there was a lot left to be desired. A lot of the dialogue was bland and there was a lot of telling, not showing, which breaks one of the cardinal rules of screenwriting. But, as an introduction to characters and themes, a setup of the grandiose and immersive world, and an emotionally compelling story, it was really good, no doubt. That I didn't think it was perfect is blasphemy, I'm sure, but I calls 'em as I sees 'em. I think an 8 is pushing it, so I'm gonna give this a 7.75/10.
Favorite line: A lot of epic sounding dialogue in this one. Maybe, "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future." Simple statement of theme that worked for what it was.
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
So I was obviously somewhat disappointed by the first installment of the series. "Is this what all the hype is about?" I thought. But, I was still interested in the fates of characters who I was now emotionally invested in, so I sat down to watch this feeling wary but optimistic.
Oh. My. God.
This one was SO GOOD. Gollum is one of the more interesting and compelling characters I've ever seen on film, and the other characters really came into their own as well. And the writing fixed a lot of the problems I had with the first one, keeping the long-winded monologues to a minimum, not painting bad people as all bad and good people as all good and nothing else, showing instead of telling. AND THE HELM'S DEEP FIGHT SCENE. HOLY CRUD. I'm not sure I've seen many other things as exciting as that. Probably my favorite of the trilogy, and I now get what all the hype is about. Must credit the directing and acting for that. Couple of little things here and there, though, so not a perfect rating, but pretty close. 9.75/10
Favorite line: Oh, I actually have to declare a tie. First, of course, "My precious." CHILLS. Smeagol/Gollum is the Darth Vader of Lord of the Rings, and the fact that I bought his inner dilemma and even sympathized with him is a testament to the writing and Andy Serkis's acting. And then, as Aragorn says, "There is always hope." Cheesy, I know, but... I found it worked. Inspiring.
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Another really really great movie. This one comes in just below The Two Towers for me, because I had a few pacing problems with it, especially near the end, but some of the scenes, some of the themes, man, they just got me. Also, the directing in this movie is fantastic. Minus some pacing problems, the fight scenes, the intercutting of story lines, some of the most suspenseful scenes I've ever seen in any movie ever... phew, man. I realized at a certain point that EVERY time the scene cut to a different set of characters, I was thinking, "Darnit, I wanted to see what happened!" meaning I was equally invested in every character. The fight scenes were epic in scope, and the fact that Peter Jackson didn't shy away from showing soldiers dying left and right shows that he wasn't trying to give anyone any easy answers. He embraced the moral ambiguity of the trilogy, which is great. And some scenes were Hitchcockian in suspense. I mean, there was a scene where I was literally cowering behind my arms and hands between my face and the screen. It was terrifying. (For those of you who've seen it, the scene with Shelob and Frodo in the canyon.) I solely disliked the length of the epilogue and some parts of the last scenes between Frodo and Sam, which I thought really dragged on and really pulled me out of the experience, and for that it'll be a little below perfect. 9.5/10
Favorite line: Hmm... This is gonna be a long one. "Hold your ground, hold your ground! Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!" Was stuck between almost crying tears of pure inspiration and getting up and beating someone up after this one. Anything that can do that... Kudos.
Trilogy as a whole
After seeing the whole thing, this is one of the greatest full trilogies or series I have ever seen. Action/Adventure/Fantasy/Family/Comedy/Tragedy/War/Epic... This does every genre justice. I may have some minor problems with each installment, but... you know what? Overall, the whole trilogy easily joins my list of favorite movies. Gotta love it when the sum is greater than the parts. 10/10
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Movie of the Day: Fight Club
I had an urge today after Fight Club came up in conversation a couple of times during the day to rewatch what is my favorite movie, and I didn't have any homework, and I couldn't resist, so I did. (I'll keep this spoiler-free.)
This movie. Is friggin' FANTASTIC. So intricately plotted, such clever writing that covers pretty much every genre, such intense character development, such cool themes, perfect acting, and near-infinite rewatchability. The characters are undoubtedly some of the coolest and yet most relatable ever put onscreen, and the humor and drama and suspense and satire and everything just hit home perfectly. Tyler Durden is one of my idols. Also, this is pretty much the most quotable movie ever. There are a few other contenders, but this one wins, definitely. SO many great lines.
I'm not allowing myself to be too specific in terms of plot or characters because I know a lot of people haven't seen this movie and this movie is best seen knowing nothing about it and it's pretty impossible to describe in words anyway, but, in case you haven't seen this movie, GO WATCH IT. NOW. WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE?! GO! 10/10, obviously. I wish I had a higher rating to give it.
Favorite line: Umm... this is extremely tough. Can I answer with every line in the movie? No? Then I'm gonna have to declare a two-way tie between, "On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero," and, "I felt like destroying something beautiful." Not the obvious choices, of course, but those are my favorites.
This movie. Is friggin' FANTASTIC. So intricately plotted, such clever writing that covers pretty much every genre, such intense character development, such cool themes, perfect acting, and near-infinite rewatchability. The characters are undoubtedly some of the coolest and yet most relatable ever put onscreen, and the humor and drama and suspense and satire and everything just hit home perfectly. Tyler Durden is one of my idols. Also, this is pretty much the most quotable movie ever. There are a few other contenders, but this one wins, definitely. SO many great lines.
I'm not allowing myself to be too specific in terms of plot or characters because I know a lot of people haven't seen this movie and this movie is best seen knowing nothing about it and it's pretty impossible to describe in words anyway, but, in case you haven't seen this movie, GO WATCH IT. NOW. WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE?! GO! 10/10, obviously. I wish I had a higher rating to give it.
Favorite line: Umm... this is extremely tough. Can I answer with every line in the movie? No? Then I'm gonna have to declare a two-way tie between, "On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero," and, "I felt like destroying something beautiful." Not the obvious choices, of course, but those are my favorites.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Movies of the Day: "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "The Apartment"
My joy at seeing two fantastic movies in one day is boundless. Both of these I'd probably add to my list of favorites (which is almost, if not over, 50 movies by now).
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Such fantastic writing, and directing, and acting, and everything. I've been meaning to watch some movies written by Charlie Kaufman, and I finally got around to this one, and it did not disappoint. Such a unique movie, and it's seldom seen that a high-concept film has such brilliant execution. Just so... nice. 9.75/10
Favorite line: Probably "Too many guys think I'm a concept, or I complete them, or I'm gonna make them alive. But I'm just a f***ed-up girl who's lookin' for my own peace of mind; don't assign me yours." Really gets to the heart of things, don't it?
The Apartment: After being introduced to Jack Lemmon's wonderful acting in Some Like It Hot, the previous Billy Wilder movie I had seen, I just had to see this, another Lemmon-Wilder collaboration. And WOW. I think this is easily the best Wilder movie I've seen to date. Double Indemnity was good, Sunset Blvd. and Some Like It Hot were great, but this one takes the cake. Such airtight writing, such great character development, such perfect casting and directing and acting. One must not overlook Shirley MacLaine's performance. There were points where I was literally yelling at the screen or gasping or ooh-ing out loud, and it was wonderful. And I was so emotionally invested in the characters. Suffice it to say, Wilder has a permanent place on my list of favorite writers and of favorite directors, if only for this movie. 10/10
Favorite line: Ooh, toughie. Probably have to say... "That's the way it crumbles, cookie-wise." So much character in that line, emotionally and vocally.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Such fantastic writing, and directing, and acting, and everything. I've been meaning to watch some movies written by Charlie Kaufman, and I finally got around to this one, and it did not disappoint. Such a unique movie, and it's seldom seen that a high-concept film has such brilliant execution. Just so... nice. 9.75/10
Favorite line: Probably "Too many guys think I'm a concept, or I complete them, or I'm gonna make them alive. But I'm just a f***ed-up girl who's lookin' for my own peace of mind; don't assign me yours." Really gets to the heart of things, don't it?
The Apartment: After being introduced to Jack Lemmon's wonderful acting in Some Like It Hot, the previous Billy Wilder movie I had seen, I just had to see this, another Lemmon-Wilder collaboration. And WOW. I think this is easily the best Wilder movie I've seen to date. Double Indemnity was good, Sunset Blvd. and Some Like It Hot were great, but this one takes the cake. Such airtight writing, such great character development, such perfect casting and directing and acting. One must not overlook Shirley MacLaine's performance. There were points where I was literally yelling at the screen or gasping or ooh-ing out loud, and it was wonderful. And I was so emotionally invested in the characters. Suffice it to say, Wilder has a permanent place on my list of favorite writers and of favorite directors, if only for this movie. 10/10
Favorite line: Ooh, toughie. Probably have to say... "That's the way it crumbles, cookie-wise." So much character in that line, emotionally and vocally.
Monday, September 3, 2012
McDonald's Makes Me Mad and Moody
So, I found myself at McDonald's for breakfast this morning with my family, and after the usual pancakes and stuff I found myself craving a milkshake.
"Do you serve shakes this early in the morning, ma'am?"
"Yes."
"Okay, can I have a medium strawberry milkshake then?"
She pauses. Walks away for a second. Comes back.
"Sorry, machine's not working."
Downcast, I reply, "Okay, thank you."
A little later, I come back thinking some ice cream would hit the spot. "Do you have ice cream that's working, then, ma'am?"
"No."
Disappointed, I realize that the world is conspiring against me and resign myself to defeat.
Cue Alayah: "Oh my god, I didn't get a milkshake and now my life sucks."
"Do you serve shakes this early in the morning, ma'am?"
"Yes."
"Okay, can I have a medium strawberry milkshake then?"
She pauses. Walks away for a second. Comes back.
"Sorry, machine's not working."
Downcast, I reply, "Okay, thank you."
A little later, I come back thinking some ice cream would hit the spot. "Do you have ice cream that's working, then, ma'am?"
"No."
Disappointed, I realize that the world is conspiring against me and resign myself to defeat.
Cue Alayah: "Oh my god, I didn't get a milkshake and now my life sucks."
Fall Film Forecasting
Been looking through the movies coming out before the end of the year, and I thought I might share the movies for which I'm really excited. I won't watch all of them in theaters, of course, but maybe a few of them. These are in no particular order.
Excited for:
Wreck-It-Ralph - Not much of a gamer at all, but from concept to execution this looks incredibly cool.
Cloud Atlas - I definitely like The Matrix, albeit not as much as some other people, and I hear terrible things about the sequels, so this movie, written and directed by The Wachowskis, could go either way. But, hey, Tom Hanks, and an INCREDIBLY intriguing trailer.
The Master - Latest Paul Thomas Anderson movie (of There Will Be Blood fame, which I really liked, and some other strong credits to his name which I have yet to see), and the trailer has me interested.
EXTREMELY Excited for:
Looper - Joseph Gordon-Levitt AND Bruce Willis AND time travelling AND having to kill yourself? Count me in! Can't wait.
Argo - Seen this trailer twice now, and I'm really intrigued. I haven't seen any Ben Affleck-directed movies yet, but I hear interesting and very positive things about his directing style, and the story is both interesting AND true. I'm really interested, I have a good feeling about this one.
Flight - Denzel Washington, and that trailer. Nuff said.
Django Unchained - Tarantino is easily one of my favorite writers and directors; a lot of his movies are some of my favorites of all time. I realized that Tarantino's writing had gotten a lot less... self-indulgent... in Inglourious Basterds (although Tarantino's self-indulgence is often one of the best things about his movies); it made for a really interesting and powerful movie, and this looks to follow the trend. Also, Leonardo Dicaprio I really don't like usually (no nuances), but he might just restore my faith in him with this movie, from the looks of the trailer. Heartthrob Leo, a villain? This I've gotta see.
Killing Them Softly - I'd heard nothing about this one before today, but Brad Pitt's in it! Brad Pitt's a fantastic actor, one of the best, and I hear this movie got a ten-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. TEN. MINUTES. And Ray Liotta's in it too. And the plot sounds great.
Lincoln - Spielberg, Daniel Day-Lewis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and inarguably one of the best presidents America has ever had? Sounds like a winning formula if ever there was one.
This is a great season for movies. Have I mentioned I'm excited? No? Well, I'm excited.
Monday, August 27, 2012
First Day of School
So, I haven't posted in almost five months. Sorry about that. But it's not like anyone reads this anyway, so it's fine, I'm sure I'm not disappointing anyone. I'll try to post more.
Anywho, it was my first day of my senior year of high school today, and it was exhausting. I'm optimistic for the year, but I can't help but feel that my mental health will be questionable by the end of the year. But! Seeing my friends again was great, and all of my teachers and classes range from fairly nice to AWESOME. I imagine that I'll have fun and maybe even learn some stuff.
I can't shake the feeling that I'm in the home stretch. I keep having conflicting feelings of, "Oh, a year, it'll go by before I even know it!" and "A full year?! HOW DO THEY EXPECT ME TO SURVIVE?!" I'm not sure whether it's a healthy mentality living in perpetual wait of a time in the future; it reminds me of something I was told by an acquaintance years ago.
I was, of course, lamenting having to go back to school after summer break ended, and he said something along the lines of, "When I'm off on summer break, that's one kind of happiness, there's more freedom to do things. When I'm in school with my friends and learning things, that's another kind of happiness, I'm being social and productive." It made me wonder what kind of life I'm living if I spend all my time looking forward to something instead of enjoying what I have now.
That was a long rant to get across something along the lines of, I'm gonna do my best to make this a good year. Let's hope I don't crash and burn.
Anywho, it was my first day of my senior year of high school today, and it was exhausting. I'm optimistic for the year, but I can't help but feel that my mental health will be questionable by the end of the year. But! Seeing my friends again was great, and all of my teachers and classes range from fairly nice to AWESOME. I imagine that I'll have fun and maybe even learn some stuff.
I can't shake the feeling that I'm in the home stretch. I keep having conflicting feelings of, "Oh, a year, it'll go by before I even know it!" and "A full year?! HOW DO THEY EXPECT ME TO SURVIVE?!" I'm not sure whether it's a healthy mentality living in perpetual wait of a time in the future; it reminds me of something I was told by an acquaintance years ago.
I was, of course, lamenting having to go back to school after summer break ended, and he said something along the lines of, "When I'm off on summer break, that's one kind of happiness, there's more freedom to do things. When I'm in school with my friends and learning things, that's another kind of happiness, I'm being social and productive." It made me wonder what kind of life I'm living if I spend all my time looking forward to something instead of enjoying what I have now.
That was a long rant to get across something along the lines of, I'm gonna do my best to make this a good year. Let's hope I don't crash and burn.
Maybe I'll do a post soon about what I hope to do for college.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
The Cool People Head Nod and Pet Peeves
It's come to my attention that I'm really odd about the most trivial of things. At the moment, I'm talking about, as the title might suggest, the Cool People's Head Nod. You know the one, where you see someone you know walking down the hall, but you're obviously too cool to say "Hi." So, of course, you give them a slight jerk upwards of the head as if to silently say, "'Sup?" Now, here's where my weirdness comes in. Most people would answer a silent "'Sup?" with a similarly silent "'Sup?" signal. However, I recognize that it's not the best of manners to answer a question with a question. Therefore, I generally reciprocate with the opposite gesture, a slight downwards nod, as if to say, "'Sall good." The mental image of someone lobbing something off of the top of their head and me catching it on the top of mine usually comes to mind. I assume I overthink things like this.
Am I weird? Probably. My pet peeves are similarly strange, too. Of course, they include classics like people coming into my room when my door is closed and leaving it open when they leave, but the others aren't nearly as normal. Things like people reading my t-shirts (which are almost always shirts with funny pictures or messages on them) out loud, people asking me questions to which the answers are obvious ("Did you get a haircut?", "Oh, you can't find your pencil? Where'd you put it?", etc.), and people changing the volume on my mom's van's radio to a number that isn't either a multiple of five or 43 (43 because that's the sweet spot in my mom's van, multiples of five because... I'm not sure, I think they just feel like fulfilling numbers). So, I think it's safe to say that I'm an oddball. But I suppose that's better than being an evenball.
Am I weird? Probably. My pet peeves are similarly strange, too. Of course, they include classics like people coming into my room when my door is closed and leaving it open when they leave, but the others aren't nearly as normal. Things like people reading my t-shirts (which are almost always shirts with funny pictures or messages on them) out loud, people asking me questions to which the answers are obvious ("Did you get a haircut?", "Oh, you can't find your pencil? Where'd you put it?", etc.), and people changing the volume on my mom's van's radio to a number that isn't either a multiple of five or 43 (43 because that's the sweet spot in my mom's van, multiples of five because... I'm not sure, I think they just feel like fulfilling numbers). So, I think it's safe to say that I'm an oddball. But I suppose that's better than being an evenball.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
An Ode to Alayah Frazier
Alayah Frazier, the coolest (and also only) Afro-Asian girl I know, deserves some words of praise on this blog. (This is in gratitude for giving me artwork to hang up in my room. Her original artwork is fantastique.) So, some words about Alayah Frazier.
She is easily one of the most talented people I know, since she does art, music, and writing. She's really good at them all, too. She is one of the few girls I know who can use sarcasm correctly for humorous effect, meaning she's both hilarious and intelligent. (I find it takes a smart person to use sarcasm correctly, at least for humorous effect.) Her taste in music is questionable (I kid, I kid; I often make fun of her for liking hipster music, but her taste is generally pretty good and really interesting), but her taste in literature is impeccable (she was the one who suggested The Picture of Dorian Gray to me). Her taste in film is pretty cool (I watched Kill Bill at her behest), and her taste in television programming is awesome (she and her boyfriend Clark, also a very cool guy,
enjoy watching New Girl, Zooey Deschanel's sitcom, together every week). Also, she's wise far beyond her years, and it's almost unsettling at times how much she knows about people and life.
Check out her blog at girlandram.blogspot.com. She's far more entertaining and regular than me, I promise. All in all, she's just a gal too cool for words.
She is easily one of the most talented people I know, since she does art, music, and writing. She's really good at them all, too. She is one of the few girls I know who can use sarcasm correctly for humorous effect, meaning she's both hilarious and intelligent. (I find it takes a smart person to use sarcasm correctly, at least for humorous effect.) Her taste in music is questionable (I kid, I kid; I often make fun of her for liking hipster music, but her taste is generally pretty good and really interesting), but her taste in literature is impeccable (she was the one who suggested The Picture of Dorian Gray to me). Her taste in film is pretty cool (I watched Kill Bill at her behest), and her taste in television programming is awesome (she and her boyfriend Clark, also a very cool guy,
enjoy watching New Girl, Zooey Deschanel's sitcom, together every week). Also, she's wise far beyond her years, and it's almost unsettling at times how much she knows about people and life.
Check out her blog at girlandram.blogspot.com. She's far more entertaining and regular than me, I promise. All in all, she's just a gal too cool for words.
 |
| The header to her blog, and one of her originals |
EDIT: P.S. Alayah would like me to add that you should convert to Frazierism, in which she is the supreme lord. You should do that.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
A Note On My Religious Views
I don't judge no matter what your religious views are, since your guess is as good as mine, obviously. I don't much appreciate those who try to convert me, of course, but you are always free to believe whatever you want around me.
Basically, my view on God is that he or she may or may not exist. To me, the existence or lack thereof of God is irrelevant. I'm gonna be the best person I can be because it's the best person I can be, and if there is a God and a heaven and I get in, swell. Good deal. And if there is no heaven or hell, that's fine too. And if it so happens that God is going to keep me out unless I believed in him, well, God sounds awfully conceited and needy, to be honest, and I don't care to pander to and please a God like him or her anyway. Basically... I'm agnostic.
Again, these are my own views. I don't expect anyone else to believe them. I think people spend a lot of unneeded time, energy, and passion arguing over who the big head in the sky is. If people would just live and let live, it would solve a lot of the world's problems. My AP Human Geography teacher often tells us that experts say that the next world war will be fought over either religion or water. The idea that someone's personal beliefs are considered an issue worth fighting over and on par with the availability of water saddens me a little.
Anyway, I pretty strongly believe these views. They do cause consequences in my world view that I end up having to deal with sometimes, but that's for another time.
Good day, reader.
Basically, my view on God is that he or she may or may not exist. To me, the existence or lack thereof of God is irrelevant. I'm gonna be the best person I can be because it's the best person I can be, and if there is a God and a heaven and I get in, swell. Good deal. And if there is no heaven or hell, that's fine too. And if it so happens that God is going to keep me out unless I believed in him, well, God sounds awfully conceited and needy, to be honest, and I don't care to pander to and please a God like him or her anyway. Basically... I'm agnostic.
Again, these are my own views. I don't expect anyone else to believe them. I think people spend a lot of unneeded time, energy, and passion arguing over who the big head in the sky is. If people would just live and let live, it would solve a lot of the world's problems. My AP Human Geography teacher often tells us that experts say that the next world war will be fought over either religion or water. The idea that someone's personal beliefs are considered an issue worth fighting over and on par with the availability of water saddens me a little.
Anyway, I pretty strongly believe these views. They do cause consequences in my world view that I end up having to deal with sometimes, but that's for another time.
Good day, reader.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Favorite Movies
I figured that you, the reader (if anyone reads this in the first place), could stand to get to know me a little better. I thought a list of my favorite movies might be a good place to start. So without further ado, my favorite movies, in, for the most part, no particular order. (There're, like, fifteen of them, so... obviously I'm bad at narrowing these things down.)
- The Dark Knight and Fight Club (Tied for favorite movie of all time. Fantastic movies, the both of them, on every single level.)
- When Harry Met Sally (Best chick flick/rom-com out there, without a doubt. Guys can't possibly be ashamed of watching this, if only for Meg Ryan's infamous diner scene.)
- It's A Wonderful Life (One of those movies that made me cry without me being ashamed of it, and can you blame me?)
- Lion King (I think this is a given.)
- Star Wars (All episodes together constitute one movie, really. I won't differentiate.)
- Pulp Fiction (Genius.)
- Forrest Gump (Speaks for itself.)
- Hangover/ Hangover 2 (Possibly the funniest movies I have ever seen, challenged only by the next movie on this list.)
- Airplane! (Possibly the funniest movie I have ever seen. I have yet to see the sequel, which I must do sometime soon.)
- Gone With The Wind (A sprawling Civil War/Reconstruction epic with some of the greatest characters in film.)
- Godfather/Godfather II ("The Godfather is the I-ching. The Godfather is the sum of all wisdom. The Godfather is the answer to any question." - Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail. You'd be hard-pressed to find a guy who disagreed. A real man's movie. I still haven't seen the third.)
- Silence of the Lambs (One of the greatest thrillers ever, and one of the greatest villains ever. Hannibal Lecter is beat only by The Dark Knight's Joker.)
- Shawshank Redemption (Whose list ISN'T this on?)
- Good Will Hunting (Don't we all wish we were a little more like Matt Damon in this movie, and we had someone like Robin Williams's character to call us on our crap?)
- The Sound of Music (Who doesn't love The Sound of Music?)
To be fair, there're a lot of classics I haven't seen. I have a list of about 40 movies that I haven't yet seen that I must, and the list is constantly growing. I'll probably update and revise this list as I watch more.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Introduction
Hiya. So, I suppose some introductions are in order. My name's Adarsh Nednur. I'm 17 years old. I'm a junior in high school in Houston, Texas. I'm Indian. I fall to the liberal side on most social issues, but I know nothing of politics or economics. I'm straight, which I say just for future reference, and I'm single. I'm a hopeless romantic who isn't sure he believes in love. I'm told by all of my best friends, most of whom are girls, that I'm extremely girly for a guy. I'm a little prone to cheesiness, but I'm fond of cheese, so that's all right. I play guitar and bass clarinet and dabble in piano, but I'm told I'm not good enough yet to say that I can play the last at a mediocre level; I'm pretty decent at the other two, though. I write songs in my spare time, and I'm told I'm all right. You may have noticed, I form a lot of my opinions about myself from what people tell me, because I certainly can't be objective, and I'm much more likely to be overly hard on myself than others. I'm starting this blog as a vent for my teenage-angst-iness, which can get a tad heavy at times, and as a place to write my general thoughts. Au revoir.
A note on the title: My friend Alayah has a running joke with me where she'll mock me in a generic preppy-girl-voice whenever I complain about something in the format, "Oh my god, ... and now my life sucks!" For example, if I said, "Man, I'm going to die alone," she'd answer with, "Oh my god, nobody loves me and now my life sucks." She wanted me to start a blog because she was starting one (http://girlandram.blogspot.com/) and she would then have a regular reader and she would return the favor. I found the idea an interesting one, so I did it, and the title is an homage to her. You should go check her out.
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A note on the title: My friend Alayah has a running joke with me where she'll mock me in a generic preppy-girl-voice whenever I complain about something in the format, "Oh my god, ... and now my life sucks!" For example, if I said, "Man, I'm going to die alone," she'd answer with, "Oh my god, nobody loves me and now my life sucks." She wanted me to start a blog because she was starting one (http://girlandram.blogspot.com/) and she would then have a regular reader and she would return the favor. I found the idea an interesting one, so I did it, and the title is an homage to her. You should go check her out.
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