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I cant quite get my head around the fact that this movie was directed by George Lucas--yes, that George Lucas. Its just such a different style. The one thing he gets mega points for on the directorial front with this film, is that (acc to IMDB) he'd do a lot of single take scenes. The actors would sometimes flub lines, but as long as they stayed in character, that was the shot that was used (examples are when Carol gets hit by a water balloon and also when Terry brings the booze to Debbie in the car). Adds a lot of realism to it.
The best part of the movie was definitely the soundtrack. No contest there. Such classic oldies--Johnny B Goode, Runaway, Barbara Ann, Surfing Safari, Maybe Baby. I've just added all of them to my download list. Often times I wasn't even paying attention to the scene because I was rocking out. Yeah, I know. Punk rock princess over here rocking out to oldies. Deal with it.
There wasn't much in the way of plot, which meant that I'd lose interest here and there. But I did really like some of the characters. Milner was my favorite. Definitely perked up whenever he was on screen. And points for Harrison Ford, singing One Enchanted Evening (just the beginning of the clip).
While the plot didnt quite grab me, I found it really intriguing as a period piece. The 60's is easily my favorite decade that I didnt live through. Although I usually like the stylized uber colorful version (think Hairspray). But this was a great real vision of the decade. I was also fascinated (that word choice seems strange) by the whole cruising concept. I dont think I'd ever really seen that before. Growing up I used to always hear about teens crusing down San Bernardo back home, and I never understood what was so special about it that it was such a big thing. Now I get it. Do the kids still even do that anymore?
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Welcome to WesleyJenn's weblog.
A life carefully balanced on the razor's edge of geek sadness and geek coolness.
September 2009
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This whole not-quite-the-flu thing is getting really old. The cough is a lot better, but I'm still totally exhausted all the time. I skipped the Anthology concert last night because I was having trouble keeping my eyes open, and I slept through most of today without meaning to (which wouldn't have been so bad, except MITG&S needed an accompanist for today's rehearsal and I've known all week that I was going to be too tired to go play for them). Current Mood:
 tiredYesterday was a day for running errands with [Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<user="ojouchan">') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.]
Yesterday was a day for running errands with <user="ojouchan" site="livejournal.com">: post office, pharmacy, bank, store. For me, though, it was time to work on the November <cite>Enigma</cite>. I'm crazy behind, but I dove right into Ucaoimhu's "Mystery Tour" cryptics which are pretty awesome. What we forgot to do, while focusing on Ojou's errands, was that I was supposed to get a haircut. Now, I'm going to have to get one without Ojou's supervision, which is a dangerous prospect. Later that night, I did some dishes while listening to season two of <cite>Space Ghost: Coast to Coast</cite>. I then spent some time playing <cite>No More Heroes</cite>, because I was craving some videogames. Today, I finished off a challenge for <lj user="whedonland"> that I sank far, <em>far</em> too much time because I took a very simple prompt and took it to new levels of awesome. Then I broke my computer a little bit. Thankfully it was <em>after</em> everything got saved. Still to do: my dad and I are going to see <em><a href="http://tablesaw.dreamwidth.org/428505.html">El Verde Origins</a></em> tonight. <span style="font-size: smaller;">This journal has moved to <a href="http://tablesaw.dreamwidth.org/">Dreamwidth</a>. Entry originally posted at <a href="http://tablesaw.dreamwidth.org/429995.html">http://tablesaw.dreamwidth.org/429995.html</a>.</span> <a href="http://tablesaw.dreamwidth.org/429995.html#comments"><img src="http://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=tablesaw&ditemid=429995" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> Comment(s)</a> Its kinda unfair to this movie that it got picked for today. I could not pay attention at all. Reason? New Kitty. Yup, the cat hunt saga finally came to an end this morning. Nosferatu Sylar is six months and the sweetest little thing ever. I just hope it doesnt take Lestat too long to make friends with him. The scene: Current Mood:
 amusedWhat: The kiss between Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) and Faye Dolan (Liv Tyler) at the conclusion of writer-director Tom Hanks' 1996 film That Thing You Do!: Why: Hanks' directorial debut scored on every possible level. He taught an impressionable cast how to sing and play their instruments as the one-hit Wonders, making a band film that felt like it was about a real band. He scripted a cascade of scenes that were all, as his manager character Mr. White would say, "something snappy." He crafted a 1964 period piece while reimagining the period itself, co-composing a completely fictional musical backdrop that seemed impossibly realistic (the title song is played five times, yet is so catchy you'd hear it five more). But the film's greatest triumph is a sub rosa love story, woven deftly in single lines sprinkled in scenes about something else. Guy is the jazz-worshipping drummer of the Wonders, whose self-absorbed lead singer Jimmy Mattingly (Jonathan Schaech) is dating the lovely Faye. After the Wonders perform on The Hollywood Television Showcase, Faye dumps the heartless Jimmy with the soul-melting line "I have wasted thousands and thousands of kisses on you." As the one-hit Wonders collapse, Guy asks Faye when was the last time she was decently kissed. After her gauntlet-dropping reply ("Dave Gamelgard, New Year's Eve, '61"), Guy mans up and goes for broke. Faye's nuanced physical reaction, all furrowed brows and uncertain lips, holds the scene together to its perfect conclusion. Her next answer to Guy's question will be "Ask me again." Impact: That Thing You Do! was a modest hit. Afterward, Hanks kept his movie director's chair in storage; Scott became a werewolf, then a perennial supporting actor; Tyler became a go-to romantic partner for any ranger, man-monster, or asteroid-bound oil driller in need. The movie itself seems to be inching toward classic status. It's hard to find anyone who can say anything negative about such a sweet and clever story; it's almost like kicking a puppy. In fact, I can only think of one truly regrettable thing about this film, and that's that it inspired this. Personal Connection: I identify with Guy Patterson. In my school days, I was a jazz drummer stuck in a rock-band world. I used to sit at home and play routines like Patterson's homebrewed "I Am Spartacus." And I imagined that if I ever got to a place like the Hollywood Television Showcase, my bandmates would turn to me, as the Wonders' guitarist Lenny does, and ask me something along the lines of "Hey, Mike, how did we get here?" And I would say words to the effect of "I led you here, sir, for I am Spartacus." Or at least I imagine I imagined that. Other Contenders: Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster get salty in From Here to Eternity; Katharine Hepburn gets a "Golly Moses!" liplock from Jimmy Stewart in The Philadelphia Story; Kirsten Durst and Tobey Maguire go behind the mask in Spider-Man; Tom Selleck knows what Kevin Kline needs in In & Out; Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford's hands get dirty in The Empire Strikes Back; Al Pacino and John Cazale share a heartbreaker in The Godfather Part II.
You can pretty much always expect the promotional copy on the back of any box of food to be pretty hackneyed, but I enjoyed the extra layer of wussiness in this blurb, from a box of Parmesan Basil Wheat Thins:...
Lea had homework the other day where she had to write sentences using various assigned words. For one sentence, she wrote: “I would like to learn about squirrels someday.” Today this homework came back with a single application of red ink from the teacher: She inserted a caret in front of squirrels and wrote, “Adjective needed.” Does this make sense to any of you? Not only do I not think an adjective is needed, I think it would be a mistake to include one, unless Lea needed to specify the particular kind of squirrel (”flying”) she wants to learn about. In which case, sure. Gosh, it unsettles me to see a teacher make errors on a second-grader’s homework. Or is this not an error at all? What do you say?
Today at work we were visited by a guest. After our morning meeting we noticed him (her?) just hanging out by one of the research assistant cubicles. He seemed just as interested in checking us out as we were in checking him out. When I moved the cereal box that was blocking our view of him, he was particularly interested in where I put it. Ultimately, I broke eye contact with him and attempted to...
I have a lot to catch up on, and will spare everyone one huge posting (Facebook import ignores LJ cuts) by doing it in bits. I'm way late to the party on this, but I just started reading Spook Country this week. Unlike most Gibson books I've read, it doesn't ramp up slowly, and instead hits the ground running (that's not a bad thing). I'm only 30 pages in (it's been a busy week without a lot of time to read) but I'm pretty sure I'm going to like it; I can easily connect to the tone, the characters, the setting, and the storytelling style he uses. When I logged into Goodreads this morning to put it on my bookshelf, I saw that people had Memories of the Future on their lists, and a few readers had reviewed it (overall, they seem to like it, which pleases me.) One of the readers mentioned that my book was recommended to her by a blog called Stacked. I took at look, and here's what I found:
Christina calls the project Amnesia of the Future, which I just love because it's clever, and I enjoy clever things, as you may already know. I've just read the posts she's done so far (she's up to Code of Honor), and I really enjoyed them. Allow me to share some highlights:
Now I kind of can't wait for her next bout of amnesia (cue the All My Circuits theme) because it's interesting and entertaining to read the first-time impressions of a new TNG viewer 22 years after we made the show, especially when that viewer is reviewing my book in tandem with the episodes. It's just so delightfully meta, I couldn't not link to it. I'll be interested to see if she gets the same facepalm fatigue I started to get, and when it arrives if she does. Speaking of Memories of the Future, I thought some of you may like to know that work has begun on Volume Two; Angel One is ready to go beneath Andrew's Red Pen of Doom.
Everything I was supposed to do today instead of napping and playing Chromatron. So, I just saw the Bones preview for next week.
The number 23 is on strike! Beneath despair is the wrench. -By this time tomorrow: Chicago! In the world of entertainment, there are things that make me laugh, there are things that make me cry, and there are the rare things that work on so many different levels, or are so surprising, they simply drop my jaw to the floor and blow my mind. This cover of Poker Face by Molly Lewis is one of those things. Molly Lewis, you are a national treasure. It is an honor to occasionally share the stage with you. No one knows if the Addams’ Family musical is going to be any good, but by gum, the costume and make-up people have sure done their job. Theory: Puzzles can be fun, elegant, and original without being brain-bruisingly difficult. Proof: Full Moon.
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown opens this Friday! You may have remembered me angsting about it (and Snoopy's doghouse in particular) a few weeks ago. Well, communication with the dir staff has improved somewhat in the interim and I created a doghouse that works under the prescribed restrictions, even if I find it inelegant. The rest of the set has been built, Load-In went about as smoothly as I expected (with thanks to Current Mood:
 exhausted
I realized that I keep on picking movies that I want to see, and skipping over those that I have no interest in. I figured I should mix in a few of the ones that Im dreading now, before Im only left with a whole bunch of movies Im wary of. Duck Soup is one on that list. ( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. ) Current Mood:
 creativeI've struggled for most of the morning to come up with some profound and lyrical way to mark the day, but the words I usually find so easy to command just refuse to reveal themselves ... so I'm just going to keep this post simple and to the point: Thank you, veterans, for your service. Up to and including wheelbarrow races. In Flanders fields the poppies blow We are the dead. Short days ago Take up our quarrel with the foe: Sudoku contest competitor to be retested - so, maybe someone found Eugene after all (or his not showing will make a choice easier?). This could get weird and I'm not sure what this extra step means in terms of how the investigation is leaning. Also of note, Phil Irwin from the chess community is the first to publicly associate the chess "player" from 2006 with the sudoku "solver" in 2009. I want to apologize for the tone of my "lunch with co-workers" post last week. Reading Joel's blog post got me fired up with one of those "Yes! I'm not the only one who feels this is important!" feelings, and I shared while still overenthusiastic at finding a fellow traveler.
We are back to NORMAL on SYTYCD! Praise be! In the past I've mumbled a bit about how maybe they shouldn't do audience vote in the early rounds, so the popular-but-not-great people (or people paired with a popular dancer, Kherington) don't stick around till Top 10 and thus take tour spots away from people I'd rather see. I TAKE IT BACK. I TAKE IT ALL BACK. GIVE ME MY BIANCA BACK, YOU BASTARD BASEBALL TEAMS. |
