Yes, I've been bad again. So, what have I been doing may you ask...
1) Going to the movies. I saw a sweet documentary called Babies. It follows 4 kids from birth through their first birthday. There is almost no dialogue. The babies are from the U.S., Japan, Mongolia and Namibia. I think my fave was the little boy from Mongolia. He was quite the explorer once he figured out how to crawl. It was interesting to see the different approaches used by each culture as they raised their child. But, there were plenty of similarities in the newborns' experiences. Discovering your own hand or foot is a pretty universal moment. I also saw The A Team or as I call it The Eh Team. The guy who directed Smokin' Aces directed this, which should have been my first clue. I hated Smokin' Aces (except for Jason Bateman's bit). I went in willing to over look a lot, but when it started turning into just one action sequence after another while sometimes trying to toss in a "deep" storyline here and there, I just got annoyed. I will give props to my man Sharlto Copley. He played Murdock and he was fab. He had just the right combo of crazy and funny without overdoing it. He provided most of the best parts of the film. It would probably be an okay rental. I have to wait till my friend and her kids are available for Toy Story 3 before I get to see it. Right now I am anxious to see Inception.
2) Volunteering. Thanks to my friend Lindsay, I have been working with Generation United. Gen U, as it is called, is the "youth" organization within the United Way. I spent 4 hours helping set up for the Relay for Life in a nearby town. A few days later I helped out at the Midwest Food Bank.
3) Sitting in front of a fan trying not to move...watching free HBO. During the heatwave last weekend, my cable company happened to be offering free HBO and Cinemax. This also included free HBO on demand so I got through 6 hours of season 2 of True Blood and 2 episodes of the new season. I am fully prepared to marry Sam Trammell (assuming Sharlto Copley isn't ready to commit). On a side note, I watched a few minutes of late night "Skin-e-max." There is almost nothing funnier than soft core "porn," especially when the title of the movie is The Devil Wears Nada.
4) Went to a play and a wedding reception. My friend's four boys were all in the local kids production of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Her oldest was the lead and he did a pretty darn good job. He has a nice voice and he projects well. He really shone during his solo song and in a duet at the end with this girl who also had a solid voice. His brothers had smaller parts, and other than maybe saying their lines a little too fast, they did a fine job too. The wedding reception was for my cousin's daughter. They got married in front of the justice of the peace a few months back. Another cousin (brother to the father of the bride) was performing with his band. They are just a bar band, but they do okay around the area. The song selection wasn't quite to my taste (they were all about the country), but it was amusing to see some of the older folks get up and dance. This side of the family is very into the good time and that night was no exception.
5) Read some books. I finished The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest. It reminded me of the first book in the series. There was a lot of set up before the action kicked in. I liked it, but not as much as the other two. It really felt like it was preparing you for the 4th book. The author had originally planned on having 10 books in the series, but he died before he finished the 4th book. I read that his long time girlfriend has not only what has been written for the 4th book, but also the outline. She apparently would work with him on the books so the scuttlebutt is that she could finish the 4th book. His family sees it differently and until they come to some sort of agreement that 4th book is going to stay as it is. I'm almost done with A Girl Named Zippy. This was one of those books that every time I would see it at the book store I'd say to myself, "I should read this." I am really loving it. As someone who grew up in a small, Midwestern town, I can sympathize with a lot of her experiences. Haven Kimmel writes really well and has a good sense of humor and appreciation of the absurd.
6) Once again, considered smacking my co-workers. So far this week, one of them has been gone for two hours on Mon., 90 min. on Tues., today she left at 3:30 and she is taking Friday off. The other one just wanders outside "to get some fresh air" with her phone a couple times a day for anywhere from 10-30 min. at a time. Sigh. I'm sort of hoping my bosses install some security cameras. I'd be happy to review the footage and give them the highlights.
7) Finally, eating dinner and watching a movie with friends during a tornado outbreak. We have the best parties!
Sorry again about not posting. I beg your forgiveness. Be sure and check out the first Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows trailer. I got goosebumps on my arm the first time I watched it. Have a great 4th everybody!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Letting go and moving on
No, this has nothing to do with me confronting the issues I have in my life. This has to do with the Lost finale.
I wanted to go over a few things in my head before I put forth any comments. I have to say that right after the episode ended last Sunday I was satisfied. I cried all over the place. I loved the bookend created by having the last shot be Jack's eye closing as he died mimicking the opening shot of Jack's eye opening as he regained consciousness after the plane crash. I loved the emotional satisfaction of seeing characters reunited in the alt-verse. I loved that Ben stayed good and that he knew he had some more things to work on before he could join the others. (HA! I didn't even mean to write it that way...the "others"...get it?) I also liked that Hurley ultimately ended up being the protector with Ben as his number two. Hurley was always the heart of the series, who better to protect what was often referred to as the heart of the island. And, who better to help Ben get past his insecurities, but the person who was most willing to take care of others unconditionally.
I realized as I was re-watching part of the episode the other day (and crying in the same parts) that I am really going to miss hearing Michael Giacchino's beautiful score once a week. As much as using contemporary music in a television series can be great (Alias, that also used Giacchino as a composer, was great at this, as was La Femme Nikita), in some respects, it has become the lazy go to that replaces real scoring. Thankfully, he is a busy guy so I know I will hear him again. I think he needs to do like They Might Be Giants once did and set up a phone number you could call to hear a new song everyday.
I'm sure plenty of people are horked off that we didn't get answers for everything. But, the creators had been pretty clear in interviews that they weren't going to provide answers for everything. The only answer they guaranteed was that they would show how the alt-verse and happenings on the island were connected. Part of me wonders if they got caught up in the cool cues (the numbers, the connections between characters revealed in the flash backs, name choices, the books that Sawyer read, the Dharma Initiative) that they hadn't quite figured out how it all tied in so they just decided to not provide answers that don't exist. But part of me wonders if I just need to re-watch the series with the knowledge I know have thanks to the finale. Maybe the cues were just simply tools of compelling storytelling. Maybe it was the rabid fanbase that made the cues bigger than they should have been.
Ultimately, I don't know that I care if I didn't get answers. Sure, I have questions. How did Jacob get off the island? Did Desmond ever get off the island or was he there with Ben and Hurley for the rest of his life? Is Ben going to stay in the alt-verse till he gets his baggage with Alex and Rousseau resolved? (He is aware of his island life, but we didn't see any sort of revelation for Alex and Rousseau.) How much time passed between the characters deaths?
Not having these answers doesn't take away from the experience I had watching the show. It gives me a chance to continue to think about the stories and the themes the show offered up. I'm okay with that. I can let go. What happened, happened.
On a side note, I was talking about the finale with a couple of co-workers. One is still, somehow, convinced that everyone died at the very beginning. Um, I don't think so. I'm not sure how he came to that conclusion. I tried to argue my perspective. Everything that happened on the island happened and that's what brought about the redemption that we see in the alt-verse. While talking about it with my boss on Friday, Disney was walking by us. When she heard me mention Jack's name, she squeals, "Are you talking about Lost? I haven't watched it yet...don't say anything." I have a very hard time believing she's been watching this show. This is the person who had to have someone else set up her Facebook page. Plus, I think most people who have been fans from the start have seen the finale by now. Sure she has kids, but they are little and in bed by 7 or 8pm. You got time to watch chick. (Yes, I am a TV snob sometimes.) Anyway, my boss decided to mess with her and immediately says, "Can you believe that they made Jack gay?!" Disney about screamed. I added that I thought that Jack and Locke made a cute couple. Disney kept saying we had ruined the finale. I can't honestly say whether she was playing along or if she really believed us. It's very hard to tell. I sort of hope she believed us.
Here's some of the most beautiful music television has ever had grace its airwaves.
I wanted to go over a few things in my head before I put forth any comments. I have to say that right after the episode ended last Sunday I was satisfied. I cried all over the place. I loved the bookend created by having the last shot be Jack's eye closing as he died mimicking the opening shot of Jack's eye opening as he regained consciousness after the plane crash. I loved the emotional satisfaction of seeing characters reunited in the alt-verse. I loved that Ben stayed good and that he knew he had some more things to work on before he could join the others. (HA! I didn't even mean to write it that way...the "others"...get it?) I also liked that Hurley ultimately ended up being the protector with Ben as his number two. Hurley was always the heart of the series, who better to protect what was often referred to as the heart of the island. And, who better to help Ben get past his insecurities, but the person who was most willing to take care of others unconditionally.
I realized as I was re-watching part of the episode the other day (and crying in the same parts) that I am really going to miss hearing Michael Giacchino's beautiful score once a week. As much as using contemporary music in a television series can be great (Alias, that also used Giacchino as a composer, was great at this, as was La Femme Nikita), in some respects, it has become the lazy go to that replaces real scoring. Thankfully, he is a busy guy so I know I will hear him again. I think he needs to do like They Might Be Giants once did and set up a phone number you could call to hear a new song everyday.
I'm sure plenty of people are horked off that we didn't get answers for everything. But, the creators had been pretty clear in interviews that they weren't going to provide answers for everything. The only answer they guaranteed was that they would show how the alt-verse and happenings on the island were connected. Part of me wonders if they got caught up in the cool cues (the numbers, the connections between characters revealed in the flash backs, name choices, the books that Sawyer read, the Dharma Initiative) that they hadn't quite figured out how it all tied in so they just decided to not provide answers that don't exist. But part of me wonders if I just need to re-watch the series with the knowledge I know have thanks to the finale. Maybe the cues were just simply tools of compelling storytelling. Maybe it was the rabid fanbase that made the cues bigger than they should have been.
Ultimately, I don't know that I care if I didn't get answers. Sure, I have questions. How did Jacob get off the island? Did Desmond ever get off the island or was he there with Ben and Hurley for the rest of his life? Is Ben going to stay in the alt-verse till he gets his baggage with Alex and Rousseau resolved? (He is aware of his island life, but we didn't see any sort of revelation for Alex and Rousseau.) How much time passed between the characters deaths?
Not having these answers doesn't take away from the experience I had watching the show. It gives me a chance to continue to think about the stories and the themes the show offered up. I'm okay with that. I can let go. What happened, happened.
On a side note, I was talking about the finale with a couple of co-workers. One is still, somehow, convinced that everyone died at the very beginning. Um, I don't think so. I'm not sure how he came to that conclusion. I tried to argue my perspective. Everything that happened on the island happened and that's what brought about the redemption that we see in the alt-verse. While talking about it with my boss on Friday, Disney was walking by us. When she heard me mention Jack's name, she squeals, "Are you talking about Lost? I haven't watched it yet...don't say anything." I have a very hard time believing she's been watching this show. This is the person who had to have someone else set up her Facebook page. Plus, I think most people who have been fans from the start have seen the finale by now. Sure she has kids, but they are little and in bed by 7 or 8pm. You got time to watch chick. (Yes, I am a TV snob sometimes.) Anyway, my boss decided to mess with her and immediately says, "Can you believe that they made Jack gay?!" Disney about screamed. I added that I thought that Jack and Locke made a cute couple. Disney kept saying we had ruined the finale. I can't honestly say whether she was playing along or if she really believed us. It's very hard to tell. I sort of hope she believed us.
Here's some of the most beautiful music television has ever had grace its airwaves.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
No, no, no, no, no, no....
All right Lost writers...if you make my Ben turn out to be a baddie, I'm gonna...I'm gonna...well, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. But, I will be pretty horked off. Last night's episode left me a twee bit confused on several points.I can understand why Ben wouldn't have a problem with the suddenly reformed Charles W. dying, but why go with Fake Locke? I'm hoping it's because he has something up his sleeve and he's going to help destroy old Smokey.
Next question, if Jacob took Kate off the list of candidates because she became a mom, then why were Jinn, Sun, and Sawyer still on (at least until Jinn and Sun died) when they are also parents? I need answers people. I'm thinking I'm not going to get a lot of sleep on Sunday evening.
Here's one other little bit. It seems as though most of the group are going to run into each other at the concert in the Alt-verse. Miles is going, as is Charlotte, probably Sawyer, Jack, Jack's kid, the kid's mom (who we haven't seen yet), Desmond, Kate, and I think Hurley and Sayid. It struck me that wouldn't it be interesting if Juliet ended up being Jack's ex. They are both doctors; they could have met at a conference or something. At this concert, if Sawyer goes as Miles' "date," then he and Juliet could meet. Kate and Jack could also meet at this point in time. Don't know that any of the above is feasible, it was just something that struck me while driving home today.
On other pop culture fronts, I saw Robin Hood this past weekend. Sadly, it's a bit of a snooze fest. The story just wasn't compelling enough to carry a 2 1/2 hr. movie. I was looking forward to seeing a new twist on the Robin Hood legend. But, the film just seemed to stroll along until it hit an action sequence. It's too bad, because I liked the chemistry between Russell and Cate.
Also last week, I got the chance to see The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. If you haven't had the chance to read the book, I strongly recommend doing so. Lisbeth Salander (the girl with the aforementioned tattoo) is one of the more unique and interesting female characters in contemporary literature. The book is the first in a trilogy. The final book comes out next week.
Back to the films. Because the series of books have already been released in Sweden, the corresponding films are also already done and have been shown overseas. Dragon Tattoo centers around the mysterious disappearance of a 16 yr. old girl. She hasn't been seen in about 40 years. She comes from a wealthy and powerful family. Her favorite uncle has spent most of his life trying to find out what happened to her. He decides to make one last effort and hires a recently disgraced journalist to go through all the police reports, etc. to see if any new clues can be found. Salander, who is a researcher for a security company and a computer hacker, gets involved and the story speeds along from that point.
The movie was tense, even though I knew what was coming up. The screenwriter did an excellent job of staying true to the source material without being a slave to it. I didn't miss what was cut out. I was a little surprised that something we learn in the second book was sort of revealed in the movie, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Since I'm sure most of you won't find this in the local multiplex, try and snag it when it comes out on DVD in July...and suck it up and read the subtitles please.
That's it for now. Dig the new LCD Soundsystem cd that came out this week! And check out the latest incarnation of Doctor Who on BBC America, Matt Smith...woo, hoo! Or should it be woo, Who?
I'm such a dork.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Blog or watch Glee online...hmmmmm...
That was the question last week. I was all ready to update and instead I watched the Madonna themed episode of Glee. Sorry.
It's been a long two, three, four weeks. My anxiety was created indirectly so I shouldn't complain too much. One of the sales reps had a family emergency so he was essentially gone for 3 days. The whole thing was rough for him and his wife. I was trying to do my best to help handle the work load which resulted in several hours of overtime on my end and some inappropriate questions from Disney. Sigh.
Here's the super spiffy update on the stuff that is my life.
MOVIES:
The Losers-I meant to write on this a while back. I saw it the weekend it opened and was disappointed. It was just a standard action movie really. The one highlight was Chris Evans. He needs to get more cool gigs. It was a bit disturbing to me that there was a brief media storm over Kick Ass, which opened the week prior and was rated R, having an 11 yr. old character who was a vengeance driven killer. Then, we have The Losers, rated PG-13 making it available to a younger audience, offering up a fight between the male and female lead. I swear the female lead got punched in the face and of course, they end up sleeping together. The PG-13 version of that included a slow-mo lap dance. And, a woman gets shot in the face by the bad guy for not holding an umbrella correctly. Now, we don't see her get shot directly. She is just off screen and we see the bad guy lift his gun and pull the trigger. I don't remember seeing anything about either of these two scenes. In fact, Ebert gave the movie 3 stars and only gave Kick Ass one. Something there is just not right.
Iron Man Deux-You generally can't go wrong with Robert Downey Jr. The movie is good, summer fun, but I didn't get quite the same thrill out of it as I did the first one. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the origin story being stronger that the plot of the second movie. Still, Robert has some great lines and great moments...totally worth seeing.
Theater: I went and saw the road show of Avenue Q last night and freakin' loved it!!!! The songs were fab enough that I'm seriously thinking of getting the cast album. How can you not love a show that features a tune called "The Internet Is For Porn?" (Fave lyric from that tune, "I grabbed my dick and double clicked...") Normally, I really don't enjoy musicals, but with plenty of edgy humor and puppet sex, this show entertained me to no end. If it comes to your town, go see it and laugh your butt off.
I know there are some other things I was going to comment on, but I'm drawing a blank and I hear thunder coming closer. I should probably shut down the computer at this point.
Stay dry and safe kids.
It's been a long two, three, four weeks. My anxiety was created indirectly so I shouldn't complain too much. One of the sales reps had a family emergency so he was essentially gone for 3 days. The whole thing was rough for him and his wife. I was trying to do my best to help handle the work load which resulted in several hours of overtime on my end and some inappropriate questions from Disney. Sigh.
Here's the super spiffy update on the stuff that is my life.
MOVIES:
The Losers-I meant to write on this a while back. I saw it the weekend it opened and was disappointed. It was just a standard action movie really. The one highlight was Chris Evans. He needs to get more cool gigs. It was a bit disturbing to me that there was a brief media storm over Kick Ass, which opened the week prior and was rated R, having an 11 yr. old character who was a vengeance driven killer. Then, we have The Losers, rated PG-13 making it available to a younger audience, offering up a fight between the male and female lead. I swear the female lead got punched in the face and of course, they end up sleeping together. The PG-13 version of that included a slow-mo lap dance. And, a woman gets shot in the face by the bad guy for not holding an umbrella correctly. Now, we don't see her get shot directly. She is just off screen and we see the bad guy lift his gun and pull the trigger. I don't remember seeing anything about either of these two scenes. In fact, Ebert gave the movie 3 stars and only gave Kick Ass one. Something there is just not right.
Iron Man Deux-You generally can't go wrong with Robert Downey Jr. The movie is good, summer fun, but I didn't get quite the same thrill out of it as I did the first one. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the origin story being stronger that the plot of the second movie. Still, Robert has some great lines and great moments...totally worth seeing.
Theater: I went and saw the road show of Avenue Q last night and freakin' loved it!!!! The songs were fab enough that I'm seriously thinking of getting the cast album. How can you not love a show that features a tune called "The Internet Is For Porn?" (Fave lyric from that tune, "I grabbed my dick and double clicked...") Normally, I really don't enjoy musicals, but with plenty of edgy humor and puppet sex, this show entertained me to no end. If it comes to your town, go see it and laugh your butt off.
I know there are some other things I was going to comment on, but I'm drawing a blank and I hear thunder coming closer. I should probably shut down the computer at this point.
Stay dry and safe kids.
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