Well, I was going to put a lovely picture of James McAvoy on here since I went and saw Wanted, but I guess you'll just have to imagine it for yourself.
Before I talk about the movie, I have a quick work story. This is my final week at the bookstore and even though I probably have nothing to add to the meeting I still had to go to the freakishly early managers' meeting. It was the usual snore fest. At one point we were sent to different sections of the store to do some straightening of the shelves. Only one group got checked which was both lame and annoying because I could have just stood still for 5 or so minutes and no one would have known. Anyway, I pulled a handful of one title to check and see if it was on a display. I go to the computer and I can't log on. My info comes up as "invalid user."
Hmmm...not even out of here yet...don't let the door hit you on the way out I suppose. I mention to one of the ASM's that I'm having a problem. Seems we had a system update a week or so ago so perhaps something went weird there. Okay, we go into the office to fix it and look up my name and I have a different ID number. I tell the ASM what my ID # actually is and she changes it and has me enter a password. After I hit enter an error message comes up that says my ID # is in use by another person. Turns out that person is the guy who has been covering my hours. Interesting how the person I've been hearing rumors about in regards to taking my job already has my ID number.
Okay, so Wanted. I really enjoyed this flick! It was directed by Timur Bekmambetov, a Russian who was responsible for the fabulously crazy Night Watch and Day Watch. Timur is extremely creative with his visuals. He has the ability to bring new life to an action sequence and he's one of the few directors I don't bitch about when he uses slow mo. The story is based on a comics series and tells the story of Wesley Gibson who works a crappy office job. One day he is approached by a woman and finds out his estranged father was an assassin who was recently murdered. Oh, by the way, your father's killer is right over there. Cue the firefight and cool car chase sequence.
Wesley is played by the amazing James McAvoy. McAvoy does a good job of transitioning from the quiet, sorta wimpy Wesley at the beginning to a very different Wesley by the end. Angelina Jolie completely kicks ass as Fox, the member of The Fraternity (a sect of assassins) who has to train Wesley when he joins their group. He has the same talents as his father and The Fraternity enlists him to kill the man who killed his father. After seeing her performance, I can't even consider another actress for this role. Rounding out the crew is Morgan Freeman as Sloan the leader of the group. I was also very excited to see Konstantin Khabensky, who starred in Night Watch and Day Watch, with a role as one of the agents.
The story is very fantastic, which fits since it's from a comic book where anything is possible. The action sequences are amazing and all the actors do really well in their roles. There are parts of the script that start to unravel upon closer inspection, but you're so busy enjoying yourself during the movie, you don't really think about it till the drive home. At that point, who cares?!
Hey 007 fans!! Here's a link to the trailer for the new Bond movie. HOLY CRAP is it sweet!!
http://www.moviefone.com/movie/quantum-of-solace/26922/main
Monday, June 30, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Like a David Bowie song...
Very soon I will no longer be looking at boxes and boxes of books.
Starting July 7th, I will be working somewhere other than the bookstore! Most of you know I've been talking about leaving for a couple of years now. Apparently it takes major surgery to make me get off my butt and do something.
I can't figure out how I got so lucky to end up in my new job. A friend is leaving their job and mentioned to me that she thought I would be a good fit in the position. It worked out that she was giving her notice while I was on sick leave so I gave her a resume. A couple of interviews and a test later, I have a new job!
Everything feels really bizarre right now. I'm very excited about going somewhere new and doing something more mentally challenging. At the same time, I know I will probably be crying on my last day--more than likely as much from happiness as sadness. I've made some really great friends through the store and I'm hopeful that we will be able to stay in each others' lives. It will be weird not seeing Jinn 5 days a week. I think that will be the hardest thing to deal with. I've been lucky enough to work beside someone who has become one of my best friends and now I won't see her as often. I know if Jinn wasn't down to part time I would find it almost impossible to leave. Knowing I'm not leaving her in a lurch makes this much easier.
But, I know this is the right thing to do and the right time to do it. There are so many more things I dislike or flat out hate about the store that staying there just to see my friends doesn't make any sense. Plus, I'm still close to people I've known since I was 5 yrs. old so I think I'll be able to stay close to these people too.
It was weird talking to the boss and letting him know I was quitting. It was a conversation I wasn't looking forward to, but I discovered that if you dominate the conversation, it goes much easier. HA!
On the health front, the doctor's appointment went well and I'm healing as I should. More good news! In movie news, I can strongly recommend renting Margo At The Wedding if you haven't already seen it. Plus, I went and saw Kung Fu Panda and it was great!!! I really wasn't sure if I would like it, but it effectively avoids getting over sentimental and it's really funny. Plus there were bunnies in it!! This weekend brings us Wanted and WALL*E...yes, yes, yes
Almost forgot, my last day...July 4th, Independence Day. Seems fitting.
Monday, June 23, 2008
blogging to at least 10 people
Found this via Radiohead's website. Really quite funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPsUmhqncAg&eurl
Doctor's office visit update coming soon!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPsUmhqncAg&eurl
Doctor's office visit update coming soon!
Monday, June 16, 2008
busting the blockbuster
It took a few days, but I got around to seeing two of this summer's big movies.
First, Incredible Hulk. Some of you may have heard that star Edward Norton had a deal with the studio that he would be involved in the development of the character,etc. He did an uncredited vamp up of the script, which is not an uncommon practice. Script doctors have been around for years. I'm not super familiar with the story line running through the comic, but I did watch the tv show so I had some idea of the basics. This knowledge was probably a good thing seeing as how the "origin" story gets told through a dialogue free montage during the opening credits. ??? Okay. It's a bit confusing even if you know what's going on.
Overall I'd say Hulk was an okay movie. I enjoyed Edward Norton and you get the sense that he was trying to bring depth to the character. I think this idea would have been better served to tell a true origin story rather than jump from the montage straight into the gist of things. It's hard to bond with Norton because we haven't been given much emotional ground to work with. Liv Tyler is her usual just sort of hanging out school of acting. I don't dislike her so much as I find her acting rather dull. She did have decent chemistry with Norton and their scenes together usually pulled out some sort of personality. The most interesting and lively actor on board was Tim Roth who pretty much knocks out everything tossed at him.
The effects all look really good. Using face capture technology to give us Norton's and Roth's faces on their appropriate big guys works well and helps keep some of the "reality" in the fight moments. Having said that, the big battle at the end was boring for me. It's dull after awhile to watch to CGI creations fight...or at least that's the case when it isn't an entirely CGI movie. I'm sure much of my disappointment comes from not being a big Hulk fan. If you're looking for a decent flick to pass a summer afternoon, I think you are pretty safe checking out this one.
Next up, The Happening. If you want to be "surprised," don't read the review, although there isn't much to give away.
I think M. Night needs to start directing someone else's material for a change. His last few movies have been disappointing, not for lack of visual flair, etc., but because the stories have fallen short. I was really excited by the trailer for The Happening. When I found out it was going to be an R rated flick, it made me even more curious.
Too bad it's a really boring movie.
The film starts out with a lot of promise. The opening is really creepy, but then we go to Marky Mark's science class. Like Liv Tyler, I don't hate Mark; I just don't think he's that great an actor. Sometimes good performances get pulled out of him, but mostly I think he's just sort of bland. In The Happening, his performance is not helped by some schlocky dialogue.
Zooey Deschenel (sp?), who I've enjoyed in the past, is out of place here. She usually does the quirky sort of girl thing, and not saying she can't or shouldn't branch out, she's not given much to do here so she's just sort of stiff through out. Most of the attempts at humor via Mark's character fall short, although there is a funny scene involving him and two teen age boys.
Much of what happens is predictable. Once you get past the initial moments of watching people die, the rest of the deaths don't seem to creep you out. Mostly, I think, because they are telegraphed to the audience. Some of the problem comes from showing many of them in the trailer, meaning that as soon as you recognized the scenery, you knew what was going to happen. That's the marketing department's fault I think. Still, sneaking up on the deaths in the rest of the film would have given them more impact. There were a couple that still jolted me thanks to the surprise element.
There isn't really the usual twist in this movie that there have been in others. Primarily because the rest of the country goes about trying to explain what is happening in the North East. The explainations are a bit lame and the twist I suppose is that it's The Earth itself knocking humanity on its ass. The idea almost seems trite in this age of heightened awareness about the effect we are having on the planet. Or maybe it's the execution of the idea that is lacking. I'm not sure. All I know is I was disappointed.
On other topics, I'm still recovering. One week from today is my big appointment to see how I'm doing. I swear it feels like it's going to be months before I'm 100%. It's difficult to explain to people, especially my friend's children, that I'm still not completely well, even though I'm joking around like normal and I don't have a visible injury. It's not like I'm going to flash this scar around. On the up side I suppose is the fact that I have been doing pretty well and haven't had any complications...knock on wood. Also, this recovery time has allowed me to kick ass on Lego Indiana Jones!
Here's a little something I found on-line that's Hulk related.
First, Incredible Hulk. Some of you may have heard that star Edward Norton had a deal with the studio that he would be involved in the development of the character,etc. He did an uncredited vamp up of the script, which is not an uncommon practice. Script doctors have been around for years. I'm not super familiar with the story line running through the comic, but I did watch the tv show so I had some idea of the basics. This knowledge was probably a good thing seeing as how the "origin" story gets told through a dialogue free montage during the opening credits. ??? Okay. It's a bit confusing even if you know what's going on.
Overall I'd say Hulk was an okay movie. I enjoyed Edward Norton and you get the sense that he was trying to bring depth to the character. I think this idea would have been better served to tell a true origin story rather than jump from the montage straight into the gist of things. It's hard to bond with Norton because we haven't been given much emotional ground to work with. Liv Tyler is her usual just sort of hanging out school of acting. I don't dislike her so much as I find her acting rather dull. She did have decent chemistry with Norton and their scenes together usually pulled out some sort of personality. The most interesting and lively actor on board was Tim Roth who pretty much knocks out everything tossed at him.
The effects all look really good. Using face capture technology to give us Norton's and Roth's faces on their appropriate big guys works well and helps keep some of the "reality" in the fight moments. Having said that, the big battle at the end was boring for me. It's dull after awhile to watch to CGI creations fight...or at least that's the case when it isn't an entirely CGI movie. I'm sure much of my disappointment comes from not being a big Hulk fan. If you're looking for a decent flick to pass a summer afternoon, I think you are pretty safe checking out this one.
Next up, The Happening. If you want to be "surprised," don't read the review, although there isn't much to give away.
I think M. Night needs to start directing someone else's material for a change. His last few movies have been disappointing, not for lack of visual flair, etc., but because the stories have fallen short. I was really excited by the trailer for The Happening. When I found out it was going to be an R rated flick, it made me even more curious.
Too bad it's a really boring movie.
The film starts out with a lot of promise. The opening is really creepy, but then we go to Marky Mark's science class. Like Liv Tyler, I don't hate Mark; I just don't think he's that great an actor. Sometimes good performances get pulled out of him, but mostly I think he's just sort of bland. In The Happening, his performance is not helped by some schlocky dialogue.
Zooey Deschenel (sp?), who I've enjoyed in the past, is out of place here. She usually does the quirky sort of girl thing, and not saying she can't or shouldn't branch out, she's not given much to do here so she's just sort of stiff through out. Most of the attempts at humor via Mark's character fall short, although there is a funny scene involving him and two teen age boys.
Much of what happens is predictable. Once you get past the initial moments of watching people die, the rest of the deaths don't seem to creep you out. Mostly, I think, because they are telegraphed to the audience. Some of the problem comes from showing many of them in the trailer, meaning that as soon as you recognized the scenery, you knew what was going to happen. That's the marketing department's fault I think. Still, sneaking up on the deaths in the rest of the film would have given them more impact. There were a couple that still jolted me thanks to the surprise element.
There isn't really the usual twist in this movie that there have been in others. Primarily because the rest of the country goes about trying to explain what is happening in the North East. The explainations are a bit lame and the twist I suppose is that it's The Earth itself knocking humanity on its ass. The idea almost seems trite in this age of heightened awareness about the effect we are having on the planet. Or maybe it's the execution of the idea that is lacking. I'm not sure. All I know is I was disappointed.
On other topics, I'm still recovering. One week from today is my big appointment to see how I'm doing. I swear it feels like it's going to be months before I'm 100%. It's difficult to explain to people, especially my friend's children, that I'm still not completely well, even though I'm joking around like normal and I don't have a visible injury. It's not like I'm going to flash this scar around. On the up side I suppose is the fact that I have been doing pretty well and haven't had any complications...knock on wood. Also, this recovery time has allowed me to kick ass on Lego Indiana Jones!
Here's a little something I found on-line that's Hulk related.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Things I've Learned
1) Edith Piaf spent some of her childhood in a brothel. (Rent La Vie En Rose...great movie!)
2) Q magazine's online radio station is my new favorite thing to listen to. Plenty of Brit accents and things I won't hear in this part of the world, ie. the new Sigur Ros!
3) Swelling more on one side of my incision than the other is most likely the result of that being the side where all my bits were tied off and shoved. Thanks Hystersisters.com.
4) The Venture Brothers are back. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
2) Q magazine's online radio station is my new favorite thing to listen to. Plenty of Brit accents and things I won't hear in this part of the world, ie. the new Sigur Ros!
3) Swelling more on one side of my incision than the other is most likely the result of that being the side where all my bits were tied off and shoved. Thanks Hystersisters.com.
4) The Venture Brothers are back. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Now there are two...
I don't really like Gwyneth Paltrow. She's never done anything to me personally, but something about her just irritates me. Until yesterday, I could only name one movie I could bear her in (that would be Emma). Now that I've seen Iron Man I have a second film I like her in.
I've been behind going to see films in theaters, but I'm not suffering the repercussions of driving much anymore so I hauled butt out to go see this movie.
Iron Man works much the same way as the first Spiderman movie did. It is a good, solid, enjoyable film that shows us the origin story for this superhero. It is not quite as dramatic or emotionally rich film as Spiderman, but that may have something to do with where Tony Stark is as a person when the film begins and where he is as it ends.
Overall, it is a pretty sweet ride. I have always been a fan of Robert Downey, Jr's and he doesn't let you down in any way. His Tony is full of charm, wit and bearable cockiness through out. He's not completely cold, he's just too self involved at the outset. Gwyneth is solid as his personal assistant, even though I hate her character's name. It's a comic book thing I know, but I have yet to understand the appeal of having some one's name be Pepper. At any rate, she has the right sort of temperament to handle her boss. Gwyneth and Robert handle their scenes with just the right amount of tension keeping their relationship from sliding into cliche-ville. Every character has some great lines and moments, though I thought Terrance Howard was underused. But, if everyone had a major story, the movie would be four hours long. Maybe next time.
The effects look great. The technology available is mostly believable. Some of that comes from having seen the effects before (Minority Report) or running with the storyline that Stark is a genius and has been creating technology ahead of its time. The product placement doesn't really jar, unlike some movies (hey, let's focus in on that can of Coke...think anyone will think that's weird? Heck no!). The story aims for a more realistic approach as opposed to having a bad guy that's an alien mutant or has been dropped in a vat of nuclear waste.
On a side note, Robert looks extremely de-lish in this I gotta say.
I'm looking forward to seeing where the next movie takes us.
Rented Southland Tales, the second movie from the director/writer of Donnie Darko. It looked really good and the music was great, but I'm not sure I actually understood it. I think I may need to watch it again.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Bored.
I've finished three books, all of which I enjoyed. Then We Came To The End by Jonathan Ferris is something everyone who has worked in an office or for any sort of large corporation should read. You instantly recognize all the characters and their circumstances. The story has many funny moments, but is well balanced with some really sad and touching story lines.
Carol Shields wrote a short biography on Jane Austen for the Penguin Lives series that I liked. It was a good sort of right before nodding off sort of read. Also, I really liked Charles Burns' graphic novel, Black Hole. The illustrations are freakin' amazing and the story is surreal and moving.
As far as flicks go, I can't say enough about the documentary The King Of Kong. It tells the story of two men and their attempts to set the World Record in Donkey Kong scoring. The score leader for the last couple of decades seems normal enough at the start, but when his record is challenged, he turns into a bit of a dick. The challenger is just the sort of guy you want to root for and you end up liking him more and more through out the movie. Billy, the main dude, has a sort of sidekick that ends up being more like a rent boy. It may seem hard to imagine, but there is plenty of drama in this story and the documentary really moves.
The new Duke Spirit cd, Neptune, current favorite. The songwriting is tighter and more in focus on this release. Right now I think the tracks I love most are Into The Fold, This Ship Was Built To Last, My Sunken Treasure, Lassoo, and You Really Wake Up The Love In Me (this one makes me think of something off of Sonic Youth's Goo, with less experimental guitar).
As far as healing goes, I'm feeling okay. Still haven't got tons of energy, but I did walk a bit further this morning. I'm up to 11 blocks round trip and my thighs weren't killing me when I was done which was nice. I hung out with Mom for around 3 hours on Sat. and had to take a nap when I got home. I feel like I'm 4 or something. Speaking of needing to relax, it's about time to get out of this chair. Tomorrow I'm going to pick up Lego Indiana Jones! Something new to do, yeah!!!
Carol Shields wrote a short biography on Jane Austen for the Penguin Lives series that I liked. It was a good sort of right before nodding off sort of read. Also, I really liked Charles Burns' graphic novel, Black Hole. The illustrations are freakin' amazing and the story is surreal and moving.
As far as flicks go, I can't say enough about the documentary The King Of Kong. It tells the story of two men and their attempts to set the World Record in Donkey Kong scoring. The score leader for the last couple of decades seems normal enough at the start, but when his record is challenged, he turns into a bit of a dick. The challenger is just the sort of guy you want to root for and you end up liking him more and more through out the movie. Billy, the main dude, has a sort of sidekick that ends up being more like a rent boy. It may seem hard to imagine, but there is plenty of drama in this story and the documentary really moves.
The new Duke Spirit cd, Neptune, current favorite. The songwriting is tighter and more in focus on this release. Right now I think the tracks I love most are Into The Fold, This Ship Was Built To Last, My Sunken Treasure, Lassoo, and You Really Wake Up The Love In Me (this one makes me think of something off of Sonic Youth's Goo, with less experimental guitar).
As far as healing goes, I'm feeling okay. Still haven't got tons of energy, but I did walk a bit further this morning. I'm up to 11 blocks round trip and my thighs weren't killing me when I was done which was nice. I hung out with Mom for around 3 hours on Sat. and had to take a nap when I got home. I feel like I'm 4 or something. Speaking of needing to relax, it's about time to get out of this chair. Tomorrow I'm going to pick up Lego Indiana Jones! Something new to do, yeah!!!
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