yo!

Shortbus (NSFW)

2009-01-01T22:26:00.001-08:00

Just a fair warning, this movie is somewhat graphic. Sook-yin Lee, who plays Sofia, almost lost her job over her role in this movie. It isn't graphic in the sense that it's disturbing or offensive. I think the way things are done is shown in a brutally honest way and some people don't like seeing that. User comments from the place where I "sourced" this film were talking about how they find "nothing wrong with homosexuality" but were extremely upset by a certain 3 minute scene and that they should have been warned. Yes, we should put a label on all the DVD cases when there are gay scenes so people will know to stand clear :: SARCASM :: So ridiculous.

I actually only wanted to see this because Daniela Sea is in it, but once again, she has a tiny, tiny part. It's actually more of a cameo with her partner, Bitch, and JD Samson of Le Tigre.

Basically, there are three characters, Sophia, James, and Severin who have a mental block or challenge when it comes to sex and relationships. Sophia's issue is that she is "pre-orgasmic" (i.e. has never had one) yet she's a couple's counselor and has been married for some time. James, who used to pull tricks, won't let anyone have sex with him because he says his emotions and feelings stop at his skin although he has been in a relationship for, I think, 6 years. Severin, a dominatrix, has a hard time with communicating with people and has never had a real relationship with someone. They all go to this underground spot called, Shortbus, named so because everyone who goes there has some sort of emotional challenge or hang-up when it comes to sex and relationships. It's a place where people can be free to express themselves without being judged. This film shows the struggles of each character and their attempts at trying to overcome them.

What I liked most about this movie was the honesty of it. It didn't hold back anything. It feels real as if you could walk down the street and meet people with these same issues. John Mitchell got criticized because people thought this movie was "pornographic" but he refuted that pornography is for arousal whereas this movie does the opposite, it "de-eroticizes" sex and its purpose is to "remove the cloud of arousal to reveal emotions and ideas that might have been obscured by it". It's depressing in that way, seeing how unconnected the characters are with relationships, but this movie does a good job of finding the humor and irony within it. Just look at all of the characters; they are walking contradictions. It's genius.

Witchblade (anime)

2009-01-01T22:15:00.000-08:00

Finally finished Witchblade (anime version). I watched the first 10 ep a while back but I lost interest in it. But, my bro and I watched all 24 ep on NYE and today. It was actually better than I remembered. It's somewhat ecchi ("perverted") with all the "BUSTiness" going on and comedic comments from the main character's neighbor, the old dirty perv, not to mention Masane ends up being called "Masamune" ("undefeatable breasts"). Anyways, it has a nice, touching story between Masane and her daughter, Rihoko, who is super kawaii. I'll admit I got teary-eyed a few times, especially towards the end. I still think the US original looks 100x cooler and more badass and that this anime isn't anything to brag about but it was good for what it was. If you're looking for a 1 season series to just speed through, this will do.

Be Kind Rewind

2008-12-31T04:20:00.000-08:00

Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) who owns an old VHS corner shop in Jersey is given a notice to vacate or renovate as the city wants to demolish the building to put up new condos. While he's away he leaves Mike (Mos Def) in charge. Something happens to all the tapes, so as a solution, Mike and Jerry (Jack Black)m with the help of Alma (Melonie Diaz from Itty Bitty Titty Committee), decide to tape over the tapes with their own remakes.

It's sad this movie got such mixed reviews. I absolutely adored it. It was pleasant, delightful, quirky, cute... I don't know exactly how to describe it but watching it made me happy. It was just a nice feel-good movie. Jerry and Mike have such a youthful innocence to them. Like when you see an adorable kid screw something up but you know he tried his best so you could never be mad at him sort of thing. Aw, count on Michel Gondry to come up with the coolest creative ways to shoot their homemade films. The best part was just seeing all the DIY involved with trying to recreate Hollywood hits. They have the imagination of children playing pretend, something lost on a lot of adults these days. But, luckily, with the DIY/Craft Revolution, it hasn't died. In some ways this movie reminded me of Science of Sleep.

It's a nice criticism of copyright laws and creative rights. I won't say where I sourced the film, but there were mixed reviews in the user comments as well. The ones who seemed to really enjoy the movie were calling it a "Pirate's Anthem" and that it really hit close to home for the uploaders and seeders of the world. With cases like the woman who got sued because her YouTube hit showing her toddler dancing had a Prince song playing in the background, the issues in Be Kind Rewind are definitely alive-and-kicking. Argh, matey!

Origin: Spirits of the Past

2008-12-29T17:59:00.000-08:00

In the future, plants attack humans and the two are having a hard time coexisting. In between the forest and a militant society is "The Neutral City" where they try to keep the peace.

This anime is not good. Not good at all. Animation is nothing special. Story is nothing special. Musical score is also annoying. They could've toned down the corny fanfare a bit. Concept was interesting about the whole man vs. nature thing but execution was horrible. They definitely could have done a more interesting story and it only seemed to skim the surface. No parts of the movie seemed to really go in depth as if they were trying to rush in all the points that they had to do it half-assedly. And then there were these random montages and flashbacks and it left me feeling like... WTF. They should have done more with the plants. I was so close to buying the DVD at Fry's because it was cheap and the cover + synopsis seemed cool (before I watched it), now I'm glad I didn't.

Vier Minuten

2008-12-29T04:43:00.000-08:00

Hannah Herzsprung, who plays Jenny, the violent piano prodigy/convict, is abso-freaking-lutely amazing. She sent chills down my spine the entire film. Her eyes are so intense and psychotic yet compassionate and innocent.

Story: Traude Kruger has worked there for 60+ years teaching piano to the prisoners. She decides to teach Jenny solely for the love of music turning a blind eye to Jenny's violent history and persona. There's a back story regarding Kruger when she worked as a medic for the prison during WWII and how her lesbian lover was named for being a Communist.

The back story, although having a point, could have been done away with. Its impact wasn't so great that it was absolutely necessary. I think they just wanted to parallel their histories and do some flashbacks and explain why Mrs. Kruger does what she does.. but I don't think that type of focus needed to be on her.

Anyway, the music is amazing. The plot isn't anything extraordinary but definitely watch it for the great acting and musical score. Here is a clip with one of the original pieces written for the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McVTprWgN2Y. Jenny actually plays a part of this on the prison organ when her piano gets locked up. Piano movies always get to me.

Another great song from the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFwjjV2eFNM

Perfect Blue

2008-12-27T21:33:00.000-08:00

1998 - Based on the novel by Takeuchi Yoshikazu and directed by Kon Satoshi (Paprika). Another Satoshi psychological thriller about an ex-Pop Idol, Mimina, and the problems that arise as she quits CHAM, a singing group, to persue acting. She discovers a website called, "Minna's Room", which logs her daily life in the point-of-view of her via an impersonator. The story gets intense and twisted when the lines between reality and illusion start to blur.

The plot is well thought out and really does a good job of analyzing the whole obsession with Pop stars - the Pop phenomenon. However, this is one anime that would be better as a live action, and dare I say it, a Hollywood live action. I feel like this story is one that could be easily adapted and translated to US society unlike other anime live actions that are coming out soon (e.g. Dragon Ball and Akira). Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream) actually has the US film rights to this but I'm not sure if it's actually going to be made since he supposedly only bought it to do the Jennifer Connelly bathtub scene. At the very least, with Satoshi's growth in animation and with today's technology, this anime would definitely be better if it was redone in a similar style to Paprika or Paranoia Agent. It'd have more of an impact to pump up the delusion aspect of the story with more advanced animation. But, I definitely love the animation style of this adaptation. It's simple, realistic, and kind of has a creepy feel to it, or maybe because everytime I see animes like this I think of Kite. Overall, it's worth the time spent to watch it.

I'm going to try and find the Japanese live action that supposedly is closer to the novel. But, in my experience, Japanese live actions have been pretty shitty. It's weird that I enjoy subs, but when it comes to actually having to see the actors act, it's just not as good so I'd prefer to watch anime.

Itty Bitty Titty Committee

2008-12-27T14:04:00.000-08:00

A film about an 18-year-old softspoken, pushover turned riot grrl overnight, Anna. The characters seemed too flat, one-dimensional, with obvious conflicts and resolutions. The part that killed it was the lame love story between the supposed ringleader of Clits in Action (C(I)A), Sadie, who, although, a proclaimed feminist stays in a somewhat abusive relationship and preys on all the newbie members, and the main protagonist, Anna. Also, it was pretty juvenile how Anna's newfound knowledge of feminist theory causes her to vandalize her bedroom with graffiti, install pink highlights in her hair, and totally disrespect her family. But, I guess that was the whole point of showing her growth throughout the film as she later stops the childish behavior and realizes what it truly means to be a feminist. Ah! So maybe it's a criticism on how you cannot just become an activist by doing X, Y, Z.. you actually have to live it, have it be a part of your core. Okay, so maybe it wasn't so juvenile after all, maybe it had a point. I guess.

With such a cool title and cast and the power to reach so many people, this movie NEEDED to and should have been better. Wouldn't it make more sense to have this movie be about breast-confidence? I thought this movie was going to be about a girl who is ashamed about her flat chest but becomes empowered in some way. The focus of this movie wasn't so much on body image except for the fact that Anna worked for a plastic surgeon. It's hard to really say who the target audience is and the point with the overkill of puppy love stories.

With all that aside, it was entertaining, at least. Daniela Sea should've had a bigger role. She's amazing. Sigh. Her demeanor always gets me giddy like when I see Ryan Gosling in The Notebook. Shulamith, the "recovering lawyer" played by Carly Pope, and her relationship with Calven (Daniela Sea), the discharged Iraqi vet, was definitely the highlight of the film. Shulie usually has a different guy every night so when she shows interest in Calven, Sadie makes the comment about her being straight and "WTF are you doing?", basically. Shulie barks back saying "You dykes are so closed-minded." Shulie's the smartest one in the entire movie. She understands the fluidity of sexuality, the unecessary need for labels. One of the points she brings up in the movie is how the entire system of marriage should be eradicated as it is patriarchal and isn't exactly a separation of church and state. Interesting... but as if that's ever going to happen. People love to get married and then they love to get divorced so they can get married again. haha.

I give this movie an A for effort in at least trying to bring to light some important oppressions in a way that isn't too shocking for the mainstream but not too offensive to those this movie portrays... and for the A cup women in the world.

The Stranger by Albert Camus

2008-10-16T01:27:00.001-07:00

A story about a very apathetic man named, Mersault, living in Algiers. He goes through a series of, what would normally be, rather important/intense events, yet he's very indifferent towards each of them. This novel falls in line with absurdism, the philosophy that any efforts in finding meaning in existence and the universe is meaningless. [Not to be confused with the idea that life itself is meaningless] Throughout the book, Mersault displays these emotions, or lack thereof. Not grieving over the loss of his mother, willing to marry Marie just because it pleased her, having no regret in killing someone, all because it really made no difference in the end. However, he was happy with his life. There's a part where he talks about how it doesn't matter when you die because everyone dies at some point and there are those who live and the world carries on as it did before. Just because someone doesn't believe in an afterlife doesn't mean existence is meaningless for him/her. I think understanding there is a "benign indifference of the universe" makes you in tune with existence and humanity because you're seeing it for what it is.

I want to get my hands on Camus' essay detailing his absurdism philosophy: The Myth of Sisyphus.

Anyways, this book was a quick read. Too bad some things get lost in translation. Even the title being translated to The Stranger rather than The Outsider or The Foreigner gives off a different feel.

One thing I looooove about books is that they're so invasive and private at the same time. You're basically digging into the thoughts of the writer, her ideology, her core. And not to mention the smell of really old books, the sound of plastic covers on library books, or the feel of cracking a spine for the first time. Baaah I really want to join a book club. I don't think I'm getting as much out of a reading as I could... you know, like in English class when you spend weeks dissecting a book. In Mr. Souza's class we practically spent the entire period on just the first page of The Grapes of Wrath. I miss that.

Time of Eve

2008-10-09T00:03:00.000-07:00

Time of Eve is a 6 episode anime set in a time where androids are a household commodity. One day, Rikuo discovers his android, Sammy has taken a detour in her daily activities and decides to check the place out. It ends up being a cafe called, Time of Eve, where their only rule is to not discriminate between humans and droids. There are the themes of humanity vs. technology and the discrimination of droids. "Ignorant" youth who treat their androids like people are called "android-holics". But, the best part is the cafe. In the cafe, you really can't tell humans and androids apart. The androids turn off their halos and if someone leaves, you can't open the door for a few minutes so if an android does leave and their halo turns back on, there's no way of knowing. So far, only 2 episodes are being shown on Crunchyroll, but so far so good. Can't wait to see how everything unfolds between Rikuo and his droid and his droid-o-phobic friend.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

2008-09-30T05:04:00.001-07:00

Loosely based on the novel, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is about a young girl named Konno Makoto who discovers the ability of time leaping. Rather than using it for anything significant or worldly she spends her time making her daily life what she wants it to be by going back in time to do such things like ace a quiz or eat the pudding her sister ate. Later she finds that her choices create a string of events and consequences. She receives advice from her aunt, Aunt Witch, that if she must be going back in time and is happy that there must be someone else that is suffering and this theme sort of plays throughout.

Like any other movie on time travel I was left with questions and analyzing what I thought were loopholes and inconsistencies. In the end, I just decided to let it be what it is, and that is a great movie. It intertwines excitement, comedy, romance, and most importantly, science. It's like the geeky love story of the 21st century. Fortunately, the love story was not sappy at all. It was very raw, delightful, and hopeful. One blatant message to take away from this movie is: Time waits for no one.

They are starting to show this movie in theaters in the US so I recommend catching it if it comes to your area. The animation is amazing. Simplistic people moving in detailed backgrounds.

New Anime! Xam'd: Lost Memories

2008-09-12T06:52:00.000-07:00

Don't be fooled by the ecchi poster, this anime is nothing like that (aside from the Captain's scantily clad outfit & her dirty remarks). This was debuted this year by PlayStation at the E3 con and is produced by BONES (Darker Than Black, Eureka7, Fullmetal Alchemist). So far there are 9 episodes of a 26 episode series. I've only watched 3 and I'm already reeled in. This anime has a very intense storyline and is still very mysterious. It has a steampunk feel mixed with elements of Evangelion meets Nausicaa.

So far, from what I understand, a school boy from Sentan Island (neutral territory) becomes a Xam'd, a humanform weapon, after meeting a girl with white hair. Now he is on board a postal airship trying to tame this "thing" with the help of Nakiami.

After seeing Darker Than Black, I was a little skeptical about starting this one. But, once I saw photos of the animation, I couldn't help myself. The art is very simplistic and the colors are lively and bright, not so much vibrant. Although, I'm not sure if it was just the streaming vid I saw, the quick fighting scenes seemed to be poorly drawn. Maybe we're meant to only watch this on blu-ray? If you're looking for an anime that has adventure, action, and is somewhat a thriller in that you don't know what the hell is going on yet, watch this.

Oh and the opening and ending themes are freaking awesome. Catch the trailer HERE.

unconventional

2008-08-20T11:56:00.001-07:00

I've been watching too much anime lately & wanted to do a little post on the absurd, nontraditional ones that were really mind/eye catching. These three aren't new but I think they definitely take anime to a new level. When everyone thinks anime, they assume kawaii big-eyed schoolgirls and something that involves 1) swords 2) guns 3) ninjitsu of some sort. Just like any medium, especially in animation, there are the little treasures you find that are visually orgasmic and breathtaking.

MIND GAME - written by Robin Nishi; screenplay/directed by Masaaki Yuasa (Samurai Champloo, Cat Soup, Genius Party)

The gist - Nishi, this guy who is completely in love with a childhood friend, Myon, meets up with her. They get into a mishap with the Yakuza and everything just starts snowballing.

The point - In the beginning, there's like 3 min. of fast clips, basically taking you through the lives of the characters and through the story. The events the characters went through were based on the decisions they made. Any story/event can be reinvented just by altering one choice...and that will snowball into new events, new decisions. There are so many options our lives can go. It really is a mind game trying to see all the different possibilities.

The animation is so insane. My imagination can't even work that well. They mix different styles and also use some real-life pictures. Some mindblowing scenes: the "love making" and the dancing scene. Another reason why animation is freaking amazing because there really are no limits.

TEKKON KINKREET - based on Taiyo Matsumoto's Black and White

The gist - Two brothers, Kuro & Shiro, trying to survive in a messed up town. Kuro, the older brother, tries to protect his brother and the town from Yakuza. Things start taking a turn for the worse when Kuro and Shiro get split up.

The point - There's a scene where Shiro talks about how he has all the screws that Kuro is missing. Throughout the entire movie, you can just feel how strong their bond is.

Wobbly-lined anime. Great colors. Music amazing, which was done by Plaid. This movie was intense, sweet, and kind of heartwrenching.

FLCL "Furi Kuri" - created & directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki (Evangelion)

The gist - a 6 ep OVA about an alien, Haruko, and her run-in with Naota. She attempts to use Naota in order to search for Atomsk and go against Medical Mechanica.

The point - Was there a point? HAHA. This anime was absolutely ridiculous. Amazing animation. Although the basic drawings are pretty traditional, they use some nontraditional formats with the timing and particular scenes are pretty random... like the South Park one. They even did some manga scenes and had some chibi moments. I think every anime needs a chibi scene!

All three are pretty crazy and worth watching more than once.

SATC

2008-05-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

Am I just jaded or bitter or was this movie corny and a tad bit idealistic? Come on, Carrie! And the whole idea of being in New York to find love?? I'd hope women have more to talk about. But, maybe it's because I'm in my 20's and the characters in SATC are 40+ and have already established their careers, gone through all the bad relationships, and their biological clocks are ticking. Okay, when I look at it from their POV, I'd want to settle down at 40+ too. 40 is the new 25.

Anyway, it's a perfect GNO movie. There are moments where you want to find the nearest guy and hit him, moments you want to find the nearest girl and hit her, and then "aw" moments that make you feel a tad bit hopeful about love. But the moral of the story is, in the end, you gotta have your girls. Sappy but true.

Oh and the clothes were AMAZING. Everything from headpiece to bag to shoes. I would watch it again just to see what they were wearing. Ahhh that Christian Lacroix!! And that Vivienne Westwood!! Sigh. They seriously got hooked up.

PAPRIKA

2008-05-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

based on a novel by yasutaka tsutsui (1993). visually insane. story about a device that allows psychoanalysts to enter your dreams. however, a "terrorist" steals the device and blurs the lines between dream and reality.

animation is amazing. i give it a B for concept and execution. they raise the question of whether or not technology is always the best solution for humanity. and the scientists are for the device, but even with all the trouble it caused by it getting into the hands of someone with different motives, it wasn't clear if they still wanted it. unlike in ironman where tony stark totally did a 180 and decided that those weapons were bad and he wanted to be a hero. but i guess paprika's look on it was more realistic. we cannot deny technology. it isn't so cut and dry on what is moral and humane. and the person who ends up stealing the device and causing all the trouble is pretty inconsistent between his reasons and actions.

time to find a translated version of the book.

The Awakening

2008-03-17T01:13:00.000-07:00

Last night I went on a book-buying binge. I decided to reread The Awakening by Kate Chopin. I always thought it was one of the cool feminist books I read in high school so I thought it'd be a fitting for the weeks I've been having to read it again. And let's just say I think I'm going to reread a lot of books from now on. Just having the alternate perspective and seeing how different I took things the first time is really interesting.

Anyway.

All I remembered of this book was that it was about a woman who was interested in three different men for three different reasons and realizing she could not be happy with all, killed herself. I could see why I would've remembered her suicide to be for romance... because I was boy crazy. HAHA. But, reading it again, her suicide really had nothing to do with the men. It was the one selfish thing she could do for herself...the only way for her to know nobody would have her, own her. Edna was always tied down with responsibilities she did not want and slowly began doing as she pleased. But, really... how long can a woman in that society really go on doing whatever she wants? Like she said, she would give her life for her children, but never HERSELF.

"The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth."

Next up: The Undiscovered Self by CG Jung

Movies

2008-03-16T10:34:00.001-07:00

I watched three movies this week. Each very different.

1. The King of Kong
Summary: A documentary about a no-name in the Classic Arcade Game realm, Steve Weibe, who attempts to become the Donkey Kong champion over veteran, Billy Mitchell. It's just the back and forth drama between both sides and Steve's hardships trying to get to the top.

Entertaining. A little slow at first. But, once it picks up it's very addicting. They turn this rather pointless situation into a classic good vs. evil plot with Billy Mitchell as the villian. If you watch this, make sure to read up on the latest scores that came out after this movie was made.

2. The Jane Austen Book Club
Summary: 5 women and 1 man get together every month to discuss 1 out of their 6 Jane Austen novels (Emma, Mansfield Park, something Abbey, Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, & Persuasion). And throughout each month, it follows all their different problems with love and relationships.

Maybe I would have liked this movie more if I could connect their stories w/ Jane Austen characters. But, seeing as how I didn't read any of her books, I couldn't do that. However, they do blatantly point it out for people like me, who have never really experienced Jane Austen. Maybe the book is better. It's just hard to really connect to 6 different stories in like 2 hours. There's just not enough time. So, everything felt a little superficial. The one thing I did take from it is that relationships take risk and the ability to sacrifice a little of your comfort zone for the other person.

3. Persepolis
Summary: The autobiography of Marjane Satrapi... based from her comics. A little Iranian girl, born in the 70's, and all the different political changes through the decades. It's mainly about the downfall of the shah, the uprising of the Islamic Republic, and how it affected her life. Animation in French.

I woke up at 3am, realized I had finished dling it, and watched it. Thankfully, it was good enough to keep me up. I never really knew the history of Iran. And it's interesting to see it from a perspective of a woman who grew up during different periods of oppression (depending on how you look at it). The animation was amazing. The drawings are so simple yet very intense.

the orphanage

2008-01-27T21:38:00.001-08:00

not directed by guillermo del toro like i thought... only "presented by" & 1 of the producers. well, that's fine... the only movie of his i liked was pan's labyrinth and that's not saying much. and WHY is there a hellboy 2????

this movie had me on the edge of my seat 90% of the time. then it just got too corny and predictable. i was anticipating the twist and when it came, i wasn't even surprised.

at least the others ended in an appropriate tone. this was just all out corny... especially with the music.

i thought this movie was going to scare me... but it reminded me too much of the haunting, especially with the whole thing w/ the children... the poor children!! i'd say the scariest part was with the kid wearing the burlap sack for a face.

i dunno... maybe i was just expecting too much, but this wasn't my idea of a good horror movie. this storyline is played out and the twist was almost anti-climactic.

interview

2008-01-23T01:38:00.000-08:00

just saw this movie over the weekend.

2 people: both arrogant, stubborn, and a little crazy have relationship problems. the whole movie is an

interview between pierre (steve buscemi), a journalist used to doing political pieces, and katya (sienna miller), a popular soap star.

it's really interesting to see how things progress in this movie and the twists. i think it's mainly about trust issues and to see that two people who both think they are better than the other are actually more alike than they thought.

i must watch the original: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0360674/

cloverfield

2008-01-19T01:06:00.000-08:00

it is not "blair witch meets something". just because they're carrying around a home video camera does not make it blair witch. if anything, it's just a mockumentary... a cool twist to the whole monster genre.

you know, it wasn't as bad as i thought it was going to be. i was curious enough to watch it because i really wanted to see what the monster looked like. and i actually had my jaw dropped and was propped up in my seat a good amount of times waiting to see what was coming next. and it was good they added some humor and some stupidity to lighten the mood.

i felt like it really pulled me in... it wasn't just another lame giant monster ravaging the city like godzilla. i could feel the urgency and the fear... the fear that they didn't know what the hell that thing was.

the only thing that bugged me was the immortality of that goddamn video camera... and the ads. sephora. nokia. pepsi. see it worked... i remember that and i don't even remember one of the girls names.

*WOH WOH WOH* the monster babies sound like animal from muppet babies.

THE LOOKOUT

2008-01-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

chris pratt (jason gordon-levitt) is this guy who has this amazing life in high school but everything changes when he gets into a car accident killing his 2 friends and leaving him w/ a major head injury.

i don't really know if the point of this movie is to show that you can overcome your "disabilities" because he ends up getting special treatment anyway for having brain damage.

entertaining. nothing really profound or novel... just a decent thriller from the point of view of a "gimp" as Louis puts it (his blind roommate [Jeff Daniels]).

HELVETICA

2008-01-05T13:37:00.000-08:00

a documentary on the history and influence of helvetica on modernism and design. this sans sarif typeface went from being a driving force of swedish typography and the start of modern design to a symbol of conformity and corporate life.

those who liked it embraced its simplicity. those who despised it were moved to create their own typefaces and help change the face of design.

helvetica is overused and is on the face of everything. but, ultimately the film showed that helvetica, when used properly, can still be a beautiful typeface.

i thought this film was going to be more about helvetica vs. arial but i'm glad it wasn't. this is a very good film for anyone interested in typography and fonts.

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL

2007-11-17T06:02:00.000-08:00

27-year-old Lars (Ryan Gosling) buys a sex doll (NOT to have sex with) off the internet and pretends that she is his new girlfriend, Bianca, from Brazil. His brother and sister-in-law freak out and enlist the help of the family doctor. Soon after, the entire town goes along with it and acts like she is real to support his delusion.

Bianca was his coping mechanism because his mom died when he was born and his dad took care of him and his brother but he was depressed the entire time from a broken heart and died a few years ago. Also, there's this girl he likes that is constantly advancing on him but he's scared and his brother and sister-in-law are expecting a baby and he thinks she's also going to have complications like his mother.

Basically, he used the doll to get over his fear of being around people and getting close to people. The movie had its funny moments, but I don't know why this was categorized as a comedy because... it was just depressing. It's really sweet that the whole town treats Bianca as if she is real because that they care about him THAT much. The great thing about this movie was the script & acting. Everything said was something important to reveal a little bit about Lars and why he was doing what he was doing. Sometimes you just can't find movies like that, especially with all these action films with crappy one-liners. Anyways...it was slow in the beginning, but I managed to stay awake (unlike someone... hahaha). MOVIE CLIP

I want to watch Noah Baumach's ("The Squid & The Whale") new movie Margot at the Wedding, featuring Nicole Kidman and Jack Black. Another movie about family problems.

DEATH NOTE

2007-08-31T21:41:00.000-07:00

Twisted. Dark. Entriguing. What happens when a person is given the power of passing ultimate judgment on others?

A high school student, Light, picks up a shinigami's (death god) notebook (death note) and when a person's name is written in that book he/she will die. Light uses the death note to extinguish criminals. At first, the public praises "Kira" (Light's given alias) for getting rid of criminals. But then, Light strays from his work of justice and starts killing others who are trying to get in his way. Although the world's crime rate has dramatically decreased and wars have stopped, the world is filled with fear, not peace. He gets so obsessed with trying to not get caught that he's no longer using his powers with his original intention. Total snowball effect.

Death Note does a great job of depicting humans' lust for power and godliness. The question of whether or not Kira is evil is constantly asked. The moment that Kira began being selfish and not controlling his killings is when he turned from vigilante to murderer. There are only 37 episodes and it supposedly stayed very close to the manga. The first 15 episodes are intense, then it slows down, picks up, slows down, then gets very intense at the end. They actually turned it into 2 live action films... I wonder how that was. If you have it, hook it up! Anyways, pretty interesting if you have time to sit and watch anime all weekend.

Darker Than Black

2007-08-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

Just started watching this anime, Darker Than Black. It premiered April of this year and there have only been about 20 episodes. Synopsis: 10 years ago, Hell's Gate appeared which caused real stars to vanish and these fake stars appeared: the source of a Contractor's powers. Contractors are basically assasins. They also have Dolls, hm.. not quite like the dolls in Bleach, but they are like spiritual mediums that show no emotion.

I'm only on ep. 3 and it's already interesting. It's a more serious, darker, more violent anime. The animation is done really well and the story line is pretty interesting. I'm still trying to understand the whole contractor thing and Hei's role in everything, he's the main character. When I first saw that pic above and another pic with Hei wearing his mask, I thought it was for Bleach because it looked like Ichigo w/ a reformed Hollow's mask on. And that cat looks like Yourichi-san. HAHA.. but it's definitely not.

As far as my other anime nerdiness, Naruto Ch. 367 is quite interesting.. they do some name dropping regarding Naruto's parent(s).. however you want to interpret the dialogue. Has a theory been confirmed? I think so. Ep. 26 wasn't so lame because it didn't drag out as much. The anime is upsettingly slow. Bleach Ep. 37 came out this week, too. Too bad I accidentally read some spoilers on Wiki so it kind of kills what's going to be coming up.

The End.

Sunshine

2007-08-05T05:08:00.000-07:00

Directed by Daniel Boyle and written by Alex Garland (28 Days Later & The Beach)..

has all the elements of a good science fiction. 8 astronauts go to the sun in order to try and reignite it by basically creating a new star within a star. there's a lot of references about god and existence. don't mean to be a spoiler but the death scenes are beautiful. there seems to be this common theme in all their movies about what people will do in order to survive. and it's interesting to see it portrayed in diff ways, first on the beach, then w/ zombies, and now in outer space. john murphy did the score again w/ underworld. the movie was a little slow at times but once everything starts rolling it doesn't stop.

sigh cillian murphy :] has such beautiful eyes.

UPDATE: summer school ends this week. then i have one week off before more school starts again:[ i have so much stuff to do but instead i'm blogging and watching movies :[