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the seether is neither loose nor tight
Jul. 13th, 2009 02:29 pmI saw Bruno last night.( cut for spoilers? )
a few random observations
Jun. 6th, 2009 01:28 pmLast night I saw a man and a woman making out in the parking lot of the tattoo parlor down the street from my house. The tattoo parlor used to be a Christian dance club. They kissed, then he stepped back and slapped her. Then she made a kissy face at him.
I had kind of a disastrous hair dye experience, but eventually I fixed it, and it's now Sonic Green and Electric Blue.
Excited that Julie and Julia is going to be a movie, and to go to the Wench tonight.
Just read this and think it's the most perfect 434 words ever.
I had kind of a disastrous hair dye experience, but eventually I fixed it, and it's now Sonic Green and Electric Blue.
Excited that Julie and Julia is going to be a movie, and to go to the Wench tonight.
Just read this and think it's the most perfect 434 words ever.
morality, feh
May. 27th, 2009 01:28 amJust watched The Shape of Things for a second time. This time, I had a much different take on it. Under the cut - please don't click if you haven't seen it, it's one of those movies where the less you know about it, the better.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
New flash fic, kind of a take-off on a classic writing exercise.
So, I wanted to write about Star Trek. And yeah, I could talk about how awesome it was. How much cooler it was than I'd expected anything Star Trek to ever be. Or how hot Spock is nowadays. But heck, anyone could tell you that. No, I'd much rather tell you about something that I was hoping it would be that it wasn't: a boarding school movie.
There's a small subgenre of the bildungsroman that's set in boarding schools; according to a teacher, this originated back in Great Britain, which would make sense - the odd tradition of the upper classes sending their children away to boarding schools starting at a very young age. Anyway, I know I"m not the only one who appreciates it - I'm sure millions of Harry Potter fans would agree with me. If I explained it in very small words. So, I was hoping for a Starfleet Academy movie. I was hoping to watch young Kirk and Spock eat and find cliques and get in silly fights and have desperate homoerotic encounters late at night with their roommates. Oh well. I'm sure JJ Abrams won't be losing any sleep over the omission.
So, I wanted to write about Star Trek. And yeah, I could talk about how awesome it was. How much cooler it was than I'd expected anything Star Trek to ever be. Or how hot Spock is nowadays. But heck, anyone could tell you that. No, I'd much rather tell you about something that I was hoping it would be that it wasn't: a boarding school movie.
There's a small subgenre of the bildungsroman that's set in boarding schools; according to a teacher, this originated back in Great Britain, which would make sense - the odd tradition of the upper classes sending their children away to boarding schools starting at a very young age. Anyway, I know I"m not the only one who appreciates it - I'm sure millions of Harry Potter fans would agree with me. If I explained it in very small words. So, I was hoping for a Starfleet Academy movie. I was hoping to watch young Kirk and Spock eat and find cliques and get in silly fights and have desperate homoerotic encounters late at night with their roommates. Oh well. I'm sure JJ Abrams won't be losing any sleep over the omission.
Last night was entertaining. Went to a talent show for my department at school. The high point involved professors in tutus. Although there were a few people who read excellent poems and short stories, most of the fun performances were actually people who did music (everything from rap to experimental electric-acoustic guitar), not "English"-related things.
Then I went with Summer and Patrick to the Valley of the Moon. I highly encourage those who are unfamiliar with it to click the link. The website is a bit early-nineties, but it's a fascinating story, involving an eccentric millionaire who built a fairyland in his backyard. There's even a poignant bit about how the property was "rediscovered" in his declining years, as he lived in the cave and subsisted on condensed milk.
We saw their spring show, which was The Princess Bride this year. The actors were mostly children - only the two leads and Humperdinck were adults. The kid who played Vizzini eerily channeled Wallace Shawn. He looked and talked just like the kid who plays Shane Botwin on Weeds. Although he flubbed a lot of lines, it was still delightful. The guy who played Westley had some hilarious improv moments, including when he yelled at Summer, in character, for taking photos. The only off note was the actor playing Prince Humperdinck, who was not only older than the rest of the cast, but also wearing a full-length leather robe replete with rings and spikes. It was tailored to his rather odd proportions and he was completely comfortable wearing it, so Summer and I couldn't help but suspect it originated in his personal collection. The whole cast, even the little kids, had obviously seen the movie and read the book many times. I'd rather go to a cheesy play at Valley of the Moon than do almost anything else in the world.
Then I went with Summer and Patrick to the Valley of the Moon. I highly encourage those who are unfamiliar with it to click the link. The website is a bit early-nineties, but it's a fascinating story, involving an eccentric millionaire who built a fairyland in his backyard. There's even a poignant bit about how the property was "rediscovered" in his declining years, as he lived in the cave and subsisted on condensed milk.
We saw their spring show, which was The Princess Bride this year. The actors were mostly children - only the two leads and Humperdinck were adults. The kid who played Vizzini eerily channeled Wallace Shawn. He looked and talked just like the kid who plays Shane Botwin on Weeds. Although he flubbed a lot of lines, it was still delightful. The guy who played Westley had some hilarious improv moments, including when he yelled at Summer, in character, for taking photos. The only off note was the actor playing Prince Humperdinck, who was not only older than the rest of the cast, but also wearing a full-length leather robe replete with rings and spikes. It was tailored to his rather odd proportions and he was completely comfortable wearing it, so Summer and I couldn't help but suspect it originated in his personal collection. The whole cast, even the little kids, had obviously seen the movie and read the book many times. I'd rather go to a cheesy play at Valley of the Moon than do almost anything else in the world.
Favorite Music Videos part 2
Aug. 31st, 2008 12:36 pmAlthough my last post on this topic didn't exactly get a plethora of reader response, I'm just going to soldier on. Top five! I am interpreting "music video" rather liberally here, otherwise I'd just never be able to choose.
5. Tool, "Stinkfist"
I love Tool videos. They remind me of Giger, Pan's Labyrinth, and my own fucked-up dreams. Although it was hard to pick a favorite, this one edged out other awesome ones such as "Prison Sex," "Sober," and "Aenema," because it embodies geek love. Not the kind you find on the sad, sad TWOP CSI forums. Haha. I would also like to note that a hobby of mine is reading "song meanings" boards. There is a rather hilarious debate as to whether this song is literally about fisting. My humble opinion is that it's about desensitization, but really, what's a more vivid metaphor for that THAN fisting?
4. Pink Floyd, "The Wall"
Of course it counts! Also, I really miss the Floyd laser light show at Flandreau. That is all.
3. The credits sequence for "The Stand" miniseries, featuring "Don't Fear the Reaper"
Best moment in soundtrack history. Did you know that Stephen King actually bought his own radio station that only played songs he liked? This was back in the pre-iPod days, obviously. But apparently it's still going strong.
2. Android Lust, "Stained"
Someday, Shikhee, you will be mine. My favorite song of hers is "Kingdom of One," if you're interested in hearing more - I don't really understand why Android Lust hasn't been more successful.
1. Kate Bush, "Wuthering Heights"
This was a tough one, obviously. I was tempted to chose a Sesame Street video. Or maybe that really hot Tori Amos one, when, as a "straight" friend once commented with googly eyes, she licks her own knee. But really, my heart belongs to this video. It's just so weird. I love how artless her dancing is - if you want to call it dancing. Perhaps the correct term would be "semaphore." This is one of my all-time favorite songs (literary references! and the particular book, don't even get me started, swoon!), although this particular version has butchered the original vocals. Both Angra and the Decemberists do really interesting covers. Without further ado:
Honorable mentions: most of the bands had other videos I wanted to pick, especially Radiohead. Also, for the movie soundtracks ones, "Ziggy Stardust," "Requiem for a Dream," "Go," and "Yellow Submarine" were some stiff competition, tell you what.
5. Tool, "Stinkfist"
I love Tool videos. They remind me of Giger, Pan's Labyrinth, and my own fucked-up dreams. Although it was hard to pick a favorite, this one edged out other awesome ones such as "Prison Sex," "Sober," and "Aenema," because it embodies geek love. Not the kind you find on the sad, sad TWOP CSI forums. Haha. I would also like to note that a hobby of mine is reading "song meanings" boards. There is a rather hilarious debate as to whether this song is literally about fisting. My humble opinion is that it's about desensitization, but really, what's a more vivid metaphor for that THAN fisting?
4. Pink Floyd, "The Wall"
Of course it counts! Also, I really miss the Floyd laser light show at Flandreau. That is all.
3. The credits sequence for "The Stand" miniseries, featuring "Don't Fear the Reaper"
Best moment in soundtrack history. Did you know that Stephen King actually bought his own radio station that only played songs he liked? This was back in the pre-iPod days, obviously. But apparently it's still going strong.
2. Android Lust, "Stained"
Someday, Shikhee, you will be mine. My favorite song of hers is "Kingdom of One," if you're interested in hearing more - I don't really understand why Android Lust hasn't been more successful.
1. Kate Bush, "Wuthering Heights"
This was a tough one, obviously. I was tempted to chose a Sesame Street video. Or maybe that really hot Tori Amos one, when, as a "straight" friend once commented with googly eyes, she licks her own knee. But really, my heart belongs to this video. It's just so weird. I love how artless her dancing is - if you want to call it dancing. Perhaps the correct term would be "semaphore." This is one of my all-time favorite songs (literary references! and the particular book, don't even get me started, swoon!), although this particular version has butchered the original vocals. Both Angra and the Decemberists do really interesting covers. Without further ado:
Honorable mentions: most of the bands had other videos I wanted to pick, especially Radiohead. Also, for the movie soundtracks ones, "Ziggy Stardust," "Requiem for a Dream," "Go," and "Yellow Submarine" were some stiff competition, tell you what.
Books I'm having trouble finishing:
1. The Amber Spyglass. (What can I say, epic battle scenes, fucking yawn. I want more literary allusions, liminal alternate-history factoids, and bizarre character interactions, damn it!)
2. Perdido Street Station. (No, really, it's GREAT. I just kind of don't want it to end.)
3. No god but God. (A history of Islam. Interesting, but I just watched a documentary about it too, so I'm a little Islamed out. Also, and this is going to sound CRAZY, but its spine is broken, and I hate reading books with broken spines.)
Books I'm really excited about starting:
1. Towelhead.
2. The Road. (Yeah, I can't believe I haven't read it yet either.)
3. The Jane Austen Book Club.
4. Delta Wedding. (I've only read Eudora Welty's short stories.)
And on the movie front, I totally got Heathers from the library! Also documentaries about the Lascaux cave paintings and the Jewish Americans, and the All Roads Film Festival collection. Also, a movie with Javier Bardem that looks really depressing. Hmm...depressing...vs. Javier Bardem...maybe I should just rent Life in the Time of Cholera? That would be depressing in an entirely different way.
TV-wise, I still haven't brought myself to watch the last episode of Lost. Okay, but, this is the first time a character I actually like has died! (Damn your driving under the influence, Daniel Dae Kim!) I'm afraid I'll break down sobbing at the public library. Or not. Maybe I just don't want to sit in front of the computer at the library for two hours being subjected to Jimmy Kimmel commercials. (Yeah, my computer can neither handle streaming video, nor torrent, so...) Anyway, I also watched the second season of Veronica Mars (not nearly as good as the first, but still pretty awesome), and I got the first season of Rome (from the public library, surprisingly enough! I hope they plan on acquiring more HBO shows soon. And, uh, FX maybe? Not that I, er, love Christian Troy?).
And finally, I've been listening to...well, that's easy, just look at the "current music" and titles of my entries, right?
1. The Amber Spyglass. (What can I say, epic battle scenes, fucking yawn. I want more literary allusions, liminal alternate-history factoids, and bizarre character interactions, damn it!)
2. Perdido Street Station. (No, really, it's GREAT. I just kind of don't want it to end.)
3. No god but God. (A history of Islam. Interesting, but I just watched a documentary about it too, so I'm a little Islamed out. Also, and this is going to sound CRAZY, but its spine is broken, and I hate reading books with broken spines.)
Books I'm really excited about starting:
1. Towelhead.
2. The Road. (Yeah, I can't believe I haven't read it yet either.)
3. The Jane Austen Book Club.
4. Delta Wedding. (I've only read Eudora Welty's short stories.)
And on the movie front, I totally got Heathers from the library! Also documentaries about the Lascaux cave paintings and the Jewish Americans, and the All Roads Film Festival collection. Also, a movie with Javier Bardem that looks really depressing. Hmm...depressing...vs. Javier Bardem...maybe I should just rent Life in the Time of Cholera? That would be depressing in an entirely different way.
TV-wise, I still haven't brought myself to watch the last episode of Lost. Okay, but, this is the first time a character I actually like has died! (Damn your driving under the influence, Daniel Dae Kim!) I'm afraid I'll break down sobbing at the public library. Or not. Maybe I just don't want to sit in front of the computer at the library for two hours being subjected to Jimmy Kimmel commercials. (Yeah, my computer can neither handle streaming video, nor torrent, so...) Anyway, I also watched the second season of Veronica Mars (not nearly as good as the first, but still pretty awesome), and I got the first season of Rome (from the public library, surprisingly enough! I hope they plan on acquiring more HBO shows soon. And, uh, FX maybe? Not that I, er, love Christian Troy?).
And finally, I've been listening to...well, that's easy, just look at the "current music" and titles of my entries, right?
