Sunday, February 6
Current Mood:
Lamentful
Current Music: Where Are You Going - Dave Mathews Band
Not really a post. More of my own interesting meme. I plan to watch all of IMDB's top 250 movies. At the moment, I have watched...[counts]...56 movies out of 250. Which isn't bad, but which also means I'm missing out on a hell of a lot. Even if I count out the foreign films, which I won't, *tongue*, there is still a lot I want to see. Suck as the African Queen, Bridge on the River Kwai, Cuckoo's Next, The Untouchables (which was on tonight, I got a preview of Sean Connery being shot to death and my sister laughing...), Cinema Paradiso etc...there are so many that these reviewers keep mentioning and I'm like 'What? What? I know nothing'.
I'm not saying that I want to review like Ebert, eventually I believe reviewing destroys your sense of movie viewing pleasure, but I want to be able to dissect a movie and understand where I stand with it, within my own points and views. I hate to admit it, but reviewing movies, coldly, armchair like, I like to analyse my emotions afterwards. How did I feel after Closer? What did her name change symbolically mean? Which character did I feel the most pain for? Which character did I hate the most? All the while trying to deny my own subjective views on who I love. Did I really think Clive Owen did such a great performance or is that popular Oscar voice speaking through my lips? Hmm...its questionable. Or perhaps, because of that voice, I am straining so hard to see the great performance that I just can't sit back and let it waft over me. Eventually I have to ask, did I believe in the character? Am I able to set aside my differences, whether I love them/hate them/think or begin to think they are actually quite cute (let's not get into that about closer...I'm just going to keep it quiet...gah, how can I think Jude Law is cute at all? It was the glasses. They made him look all intellectual. And while usually, a guy in armour *drools* is hot, this was not to be with Clive Owen in King Arthur, but he just pulls on a pullover, a smile and a few cries and I adore him. This is soo wrong.) and actually believe in them, understand them, feel their pain, their love, their anger? I suppose, if I can feel it, I know its a good performance. Its one of those instinctual things. Then again, can I ever really understand why someone does what they do? Why did Larry act so bastardly? Was it an act of revenge or honesty? A man's fucked, underhanded way of hurting each other.
Then again, these questions, these analysations help me to understand how shallow or narrow my own perceptions are. Am I overshadowed by the miserable marriages and 'diva' typer person of Julia Roberts to believe that her performance on that movie was only sub par compared to everyone else? Perhaps. Then again, while I don't understand a great deal about relationships, I have accepted her and liked her in previous movies, aka. Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride and Erin Brokovich. She is a good actress, a damn good one...but I didn't feel that here (I blame it on Mona Lisa Smile). Nat on the other hand, wow. I think my cutsey little picture of her quirksome self in Garden State has just been shattered compared to her devious, sly, sexually flirtatious/innocent type here. I just can't believe Danny (Jude Law) was so stupid. Could he not see the powerful little woman he had on hand? A woman who could face up to Larry, when he could not. Who had her own underhanded ways of revenge he could have used, if he had trusted, loved, been faithful. Then again, would he have needed them, if he had 'semper fidelis' in the first place. Well by the end, he found out what had happened when the ying to his yang left. I think I love her for that, or perhaps its just my underdog!heronine stereotype coming through. I like Ginny, hate Hermione, I like Nuriko, hate Miaka (okay, okay, Nuriko was a boy, I know), I like Adara, hate Ce'Nedra (or at least she can get annoying). Its the main heroine thing, everyone loves Anna, nobody loves/just uses Alice/Jane. But then in the end, we question whether Alice/Jane was using them...hmm...
Hmm...how did my rant turn into a review of Closer? Bleh. It was a great film. No more need be said. Closer to perfection than I'd expected, pun intended. I've watched it four times in the past two days. Scary or what? Its addictively fascinating from the cussing to the shots. Thank you, Miss Dennett. I adore it. Oh, and who knew English boys, although sooo much older than me, were so hot?
~
Oh, and just before I go and pop into bed, because its three, and I'm fuck tired and my aunty is coming tommorow to take over my room *sigh*, did you know that when the movie 'Dangerous Liasons' came out there was also another movie exactly like it and based on the same book called 'Valmont'? Apparently although Dangerous had the better cast, director and writer, Valmont is praised at the better film. Surprisingly, Valmont cost $35 mil when Dangerous cost only $19, even with its hot cast. Valmont didn't pay off anyway, but Ebert praised it as the better film. However, that is not what is most surprisingy. Playing Valmont was our traditionally lovable 'Colin Firth' (EEK!) in a role I HAVE to see him in. Why? I've seen him as an adorable, English hero (obviously, P&P and Importance of Being Earnest), as a bad/rick dork (Shakespeare in Love) and as a loving father with bad taste in movies and rock and roll (What A Girl Wants) but never, never as an accountable rogue and scoundrel, who ruthlessly seduces women. Now, you may have heard me before, but my list of people to play that role is as follows:
1) John Malkovich
2) John Malkovich...
8) Ryan Philipe
And that's my list. Never in my right mind did I see Colin Firth playing his part. Malkovich has this way about him, cold, calculating, ruthless that is so fascinating, despite his weatheredness, I just can't help feeling drawn to him. He is an amazing actor, who I adore in any film whether it be Con Air, The Killing Fields, Man in The Iron Mask (a personal low) or my favourite, Being John Malkovich (C'mon, he has a film named after him!). Gah. He is sooo good. Ryan Philipe, well...he is early nineties hot and possibly one of my first earliest crushes, I'm not so sure, but anyway, he too has that way about him but never to match Malkovich, which is why Malkovich was perfect to play Ripley in his later years. I love Ripleys Game. Anyway, Philipe is good too (okay, Em, I rememeber the butt) but suffers from a stupid screen play. Or at least the end of it. I hear he's a doting father. How ironic. Anyway, the fact that Colin Firth has played Valmont is absurd. And now I must rent that movie out and see for myself. Apparently, unlike its predescessor, Dangerous which is more cerebral, Valmont is more physical.
One word. Ew.
~ M.M.W ~
PS: The rest of the cast includes, Annette Benning (American Beauty, Being Julia) as the evil Countess (I should remember their names, Mertuil, I think?) and Fairuza Balk in Uma Thurman's role (She was 14 for Christ's sake! Its like Lolita!). That's actually how I found out about it. Fairuza Balk is one of those no-name actress, who I have loved since I was a child. She has been in several of my favourite movies, Almost Famous, The Craft (Gah!) and of course, all time personal favourite, Return to Oz, perhaps the scariest child movie ever. The Wheelers still scare the shit out of me! AHHHHHHHH! Night.
Thursday, February 3
Current Mood:
Hee
Current Music: Damien Rice - The Blower's Daughter
Past week has been a blur. I mean, I have had days of 'nothing'. (Btw, still have not got soundtrack...Sue unconvinced me and then Sarah reconvinced me. Am torn. Gah.) But then I have had days of 'lotsa-stuff' in which I am soooooo tired afterwards. Two sleepovers has been hectic on me and my vault of money...there's little to nothing left. *sigh* I may have to sink into my bank account. Okay, that's just sad.
~
First Sleepover: The HG 7
Well, I still got the butterflies the day before even though I wasn't really caring about it that much. The Friends arrived, all approximately late and we sat around for a while talking kinda awkwardly until Cathy, the last one, arrived (and Carman's mum). After talking for another few minutes, we set off in the blistering heat (My sister HAVING to add that I shouldn't be wearing black. Well f-off. I don't say anything about what SHE wears.) So we set off for the city, tramming all the way there but then again, not all the way back. You know how much effort must be made in order to keep up conversation all the way to the city? Its hard, damn it. It didn't take us too long, maybe half an hour or something, it was a Sunday, and we got to the city and started walking to the Kylie Exhibition. Well, Kylie was nice, wasn't the best nor was it big, but it was cool to see how elaborate her dresses were and how fricking short they were. Most were designed by one of my all favourite designers Dolce and Gabbana (hehe, Alan Cumming). My fave and also Sue's was this goregous black one with a train one would have to be careful of. One point tho, its got bodice layered bits running down teh sides to the thighs and is just too tight for my imagination. Like I'd EVER have a Kylie Body. Please.
After Kylie, we trooped off to Crown to Bowling. Fun was had. I won the first round with bumpers and moodily lost the second round having actually had a really bad run of zero points. Yeah, the cheering stopped after the third time. Was fun all the same. Just brought back even more memories of my first bowling experience at ACS. *sigh* It was right before I left too. And I totally won that too. Go me.
After that, Cathy played a driving game and got past checkpoint, me screeching all the way and 'turning' with her. Oh you know. And then three of us played a shooting game, this one we had played YONKS ago, and took down that fucking helicoptoer this time. Woo. Except we didn't get as far as we had before, me again being the last one up and desperately and stupidly shooting fellow comrades and not killing anyone. Funnily enough, Anna was promoted. Hehehe. Evil little demon in her.
Despues de, we went to an early five or six o'clock dinner at Blue Train, a great restaurant despite what my sister says where I ordered this delicious salmon and avocado fettucine. Yum. Although expensive. And we sat outside talking beside the river, was a nice end to a day which should have ended there but didn't. Instead, we all walked to Fed Square despite my protestations and sat for half an hour watching Hewitt fall back despite being very far ahead with 6:1. Damn. It was amazing how many people were in Fed Square and how shit that screen was...hehehehe.
Finally, we went back after Anna and I started shivering. We trained to Camberwell and Cathy suggested the impossible, that we get alcohol from a far away Safeway. And we did, the five of us, got Bacardis and stuff. And then we waited for a tram for almost half an hour (damn Sunday nights) in which Carman profusely complained about missing the end of the match.
We got home JUST IN TIME, for Carman to screech on about how Safin was winning against Hewit, which I was slightly happy about because that meant that the final wouldn't stretch into oblivion. After that, Alice arrived bringing rum, so Carman and I delved into the cupboards and made Pina Coladas A La Carman, stirred not shaken. Which ended up tasting foul. (Gah, I coulda come up with a great line then, Me: Now I understand why Bond likes his drinks 'shaken not stirred'. *sigh* Coulda, woulda,shoulda). Anyway, it helped in poker because I didn't have chips or m&ms, because the 'loosers' would have to drink as many gulps as were bet. Hehehehe. Evil time. You have no idea how grose those were in the mornings. Ick. At least I wasn't cleaning them. And they stunk.
We spent the rest of the night talking pretty much, Sue coming up with this idea to answer questions. Kinda a ruthless Truth Without the Dare, which no one chooses anyway. Well, with a few drinks in me and this somber mood going around, especially after Sue and Cathy (except for Sue's 'penis' joke...hehehe), I speeled about Harry, which I didn't expect myself to do. And now I feel stupid and silly about it all, coz it seems like nothing in the face of what has happened to them. Then again, I didn't tell them about the night of the dance, but then again, I don't think I will ever tell anyone about that and hope it is lost on the wings of childhood memories which fade and are replaced easily. Hopefully. Hopefully. I didn't realise how deep that had scarred me until I found the 'picture' in my closet and I jumped back and slammed the door so hard that the other wardrobe door bounced back out and hit me on the knee. Ow. But yes, I still can't look at it. Its been FUCKING SIX YEARS. Hello. I have so moved on. Haven't I?
Anyway, after that we went on a midnight walk with flashlights. I dragged the rest of them to the brightly lit park (literally dragging Anna) and swung around on their pathetica little flying fox, because I'm too fucking heavy and unskilled. After that we went back, and found Sue writing her speech and Carman snoozing all ready (never leave her alone) and kinda split into little groups, Anna and Alice talking deep and for the first time, I was actually quite happy to have a nice, superficial little conversation with Cathy and Sue, who had been very deep that night all ready. So yes, it was all very sweet and nice and before I knew it, we had all fallen asleep in our sleeping bags and it was morning and we were dressing to go to school for Sue's speech.
We went after Sue's Dad had picked Sue up and trammed up and then down to MLC, a nice little trip because we had pre-planned it, go us. Saw other people there, which was nice, but I very much wanted to get to the speeches. The IBers of course, I was secretly proud, were awesome public speakers, thank you English/Tok orals, with Tori's funny 'Speeches are like school girl's skirts, long enough to cover the basics but short enough to keep things interesting' and of course Jo's 'cake' metaphor and her very IB joke which out of my group I was the only one to get 'I.B. therefore I BS'. Hehehehe. Running joke. Sue of course then made hers, which was nice, short and sweet, a good ending and I was even sad that Sue didn't say 'Thank you' to me personally. I mean, I didn't expect it, although I think the others thought I did. I actually just liked the Thank You to my friends. Funny that. Just when I think I'm so fucking selfish and absorbed. Heh.
Then, the thingie ended and we all went down, said goodbye to Sue, and dispersed to my house, Jen coming along which btw, I didn't particularly like Carman just dragging her along without really asking me if it was okay. I mean, it was okay, but I don't know...I would never do that without permission. Anyway, they came, collected their stuff and left, which was the only time I took photos. Wah la.
When they left, I did my chores, cleaned and then fell into a nice long sleep. It was probably one of the best sleepovers ever but I guess...it doesn't really compare to my second one...
~
Second Sleepover: The Trio
Wednesday, 3:00. Ying arrives, bag and everything. Slightly drenched. Its raining. It has been raining for several hours now. And hasn't stopped. Not in the slightest. Sighing, Ying and I tram to Camberwell, still in high spirits to pick up Ying's long awaited present, Laputa and then finally going to Sarah's house. We giggled like children along the way, coz the bottom of our pants were getting drenched in water and we had to keep ducking and limboing under greenery as we went down and bashing into each other. Okay...maybe you just had to be there. We finally reached Sarah's house, which is btw, down the other end of the road. Much like Anna's.
We got there and Sarah was STILL in her pjs (it was almost three thirty!) and so while she dressed, Ying and I sat in her room and dried the bottom of our pant's legs by the heater. I ended up falling asleep, sitting on the floor, using Ying as a pillow until Sarah came in and started 'fake-bitching' to wake me up. Funny.
So we went out...not straight back to my house because we wanted to do a few more little things, like get movies. WE went straight to BlockBuster and spent an hour choosing movies, finally getting Vanity Fair (yay!), Dodgeball (um...), Rose Red (yay! horror!) and Fight Club (woo...I knew there was a reason I made friends with 18 year olds). Then we went to get alcohol and m&ms for poker, all at Safeway and FINALLY we got home at six...only to turn back around and go out to Dinner at Columbos. Sarah and Ying had lasagna and I had fettucini carbonara that I certainly could not finish. Hehehe. No dessert, no pretty apple crumble or coconut thingie. We got home and I had to fight my sister for the heater since it was still cold and blustery and finally the three of us holed up on the couch, Vodka MudShakes and snakes and m&ms. We watched Vanity Fair in which I had to keep telling them the storyline. Hehehe. And during which I came up with some really funny:
(Becky is talking to the Marquis)
Ying: Who is that?
Me: Oh that's the Marquis De Stain...on De Rug.
Sarah: Hahahahahah! *falls of chair*
Ying: *rolls her eyes* Real funny.
Hehehehe. It was fun. And we all loved Rawdon, coz he was uber!dad and uber!husband and Sarah kept lamenting that Becky was going to fall while she was climbing and we all hated George of course (Sarah: (constantly) Bastard!) and kept commenting on how his son was sooo much like him, but it was strange, given that he had grown up under noble Dobbins and sweet Amelia. And ick!Marquis. But yeah, they enjoyed it and I loved watching it again. Now I want that soundtrack. Woe is me.
After that, we played the Sims for half an hour and then played poker, of which I lost much and no one got any royal flushes. And Sarah kept eating all the crunch M&M's, until finally we played Cheat, in which Ying surprisingly won and Sarah kept cheating and I kept calling her out on it, or calling Cheat just so I could have a turn...its all strategy, darlings. Hehehe. Another quote of the night, stupid!Sarah:
Ying: Four fours. *places Four fours down* (We know she's telling the truth)
Sarah: (absently) One four.
Ying/Me: *falls over laughing*
After which, although Ying protested much, we decided to watching Stephen King's Rose Red. Did I mention that throughout all of this, this was the night of the terrible storm in which winds raced outside my house and the double doors behind us kept creaking at odd bits and the lights kept flickering on and off which is verys cary when you're wathching a four hour movie about a haunted house that gobbles up its occupants and kills them zombie like. Very. Rose Red, we started at about two, and finished at six thirty, which was hilarious coz Ying and I stayed awake, hidiing under the blankets coz we were sooo scared. Especially at the zombies. Gah. They're fingers. And especially when zombie!Zuchina (hehehe...like Zuchini) with her poppy eyes came and dragged Mrs Waterman away into the cellar. Scary shit. Oh and btw, April with her withered hand is going to give me lots of memories. Soooo total recall. Rose Red was good, it had the girl from Ever After (the nice sister), the lady from Becker (Gah! I hate ya Joyce!) and this other guy, Emery, who went from TV movie Rose Red to The Aviator and Down With Love, which is quite a jump. He looks like the guy from Office Space, the one everyone picked on and who eventually set the building on fire. It was good, not too scary but awfully long and some of it made no sense, like April's disappearance etc. Like the Haunting but with worse special effects. After Rose Red, Ying, Sarah and I dragged the two sofas together, creating a very weird shaped bed and the three of us slept in it, all curled up. Was soo funny in the morning when I had to half-craw/half-fall out of the bed to answer teh door. Hehehehe. Woke up at 12 the following morning, slept for another hour and then the three of us got dressed and cleaned up (aww!! they put the couches back while I was away!) and then we had brunch and sat around watching Peter Pan. They left at about two, upon which I took several photos. Here they are.
After they left, Sarah's mum had to go to hospital, otherwise they would stay longer, I cleaned up a bit and then watched a movie I have been DYING to see for ages which is 'Fight Club'. Yeah. My love for Edward Norton is totally revived here. He is just so awesome and so likesome in this role, its just amazing. I'm not going to give away the twist at the end because well...yeah, its a good twist, Sarah told me at three a.m. last night, but its an awesome movie. Btw, for viewers unaware, its not rated R for its violence or sex or graphic language (actually its language is pretty tame, Ritchie films are worse), but I guess for Durden's terrorism tendencies and philosophy. Sorta like American X and stuff, you know, the Nazis in the prison. Nevertheless, an otherwise hilarious and strangely enjoysome film. I really love the bit where Durden gives out the assignment of picking a fight and loosing it for the members, and we cut to this guy washing down these cars and he randomnly sprays this priest who walks past. The priest tries to avoid a confrontation but the guy keeps spraying him adn finally kicks him...the priest reacts and knees him and then seeing the bigger guy like charge him he screeches and runs 'I'm sorry!'. Hehehe. Sooo funny. Strangely enough for a film like this. Its pretty deep too and at least Bonham Carter isn't in a film that's made by her husband for once.
Tyler Durden: Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off.
Narrator: You're making a big mistake, fellas!
Police Officer: You said you would say that.
Narrator: I'm not Tyler Durden!
Police Officer: You told us you'd say that, too.
Narrator: All right then, I'm Tyler Durden. Listen to me, I'm giving you a direct order. We're aborting this mission right now.
Police Officer: You said you would definitely say that.
Narrator: With insomnia, nothing is real. Everything is far away. Everything is a copy of a copy of a copy.
~
Saw Lost premiere tonight. Was very cool. Just downloaded screen caps for Ep 1. They were fucking 62.6 mb. And I was wondering why it was taking so long. Off to make icons. Woot!Ian Woot!Dom. Woot. Woot. Woot. Mum and Dad back in aprox. six hours. *sigh* Goodbye to single life.
~ M.M.W ~
PS: Hello...DVDS! WOOT!
