![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I watched "Captain America: Civil War". This is very mildly spoilery -- mostly little details and vague over-arching themes.
( This is what it feels like to have your heart torn out )
( This is what it feels like to have your heart torn out )
I could analyze the hell out of why I love Howl's Moving Castle, but I don't have the heart. (Oops, sorry.)
( Spoilers. )
( Spoilers. )
Tinker, tailor
Feb. 6th, 2012 22:54I went to see Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy today. TL;DR: Brilliantly done.
( A brief review, no spoilers )
I'll be buying this one when it comes out, much as I did with Goodnight, And Good Luck. I think of the two, however, Tinker, Tailor is far better. It's in general release in a few theaters, and it's well worth seeking it out... but stay alert while you watch it, or you'll miss entire books of subtext.
( A brief review, no spoilers )
I'll be buying this one when it comes out, much as I did with Goodnight, And Good Luck. I think of the two, however, Tinker, Tailor is far better. It's in general release in a few theaters, and it's well worth seeking it out... but stay alert while you watch it, or you'll miss entire books of subtext.
New Miyazaki film!
Jun. 26th, 2009 14:00Ponyo opens the week before my birthday. Wanna go wanna go wanna go...
Random crumbs
Aug. 7th, 2007 00:05Today did not go as expected. That's okay.
"V for Vendetta" is a good movie. Glad I've finally seen it. A pity Alan Moore is still such a dick that he can't enjoy it.
The apple crisp can wait until tomorrow to be made... though tomorrow is a day where I don't even have expectations, just hopes. And so it goes...
"V for Vendetta" is a good movie. Glad I've finally seen it. A pity Alan Moore is still such a dick that he can't enjoy it.
The apple crisp can wait until tomorrow to be made... though tomorrow is a day where I don't even have expectations, just hopes. And so it goes...
I <3 Peter Cullen
Jul. 7th, 2007 23:55Hearing Optimus Prime mutter "Oh shit, sorry, my bad" made my week.
Definitely worth seeing. Worth full price, even. I can forgive them the small errors (Beagle 2 was British) and stupidities (let's lead the major battle into a huge metropolitan area!) because the rest of the movie was fun, and well written, and had lovely eye candy. The foley work was especially good.
I think I'd like to watch it again. It's a long film, and I know I missed some things.
Definitely worth seeing. Worth full price, even. I can forgive them the small errors (Beagle 2 was British) and stupidities (let's lead the major battle into a huge metropolitan area!) because the rest of the movie was fun, and well written, and had lovely eye candy. The foley work was especially good.
I think I'd like to watch it again. It's a long film, and I know I missed some things.
I'm looking for a copy of the movie version of "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead". IMDB tells me that it was indeed released on DVD, but my local "odd" video store said that all they had was a broken VHS copy. Not sure I want to drop money on it sight unseen (though I may suggest that the store order one to keep on the shelf).
Anyone have a copy I could borrow?
Anyone have a copy I could borrow?
The last American Hee-ro
May. 17th, 2007 23:59We watched "Vanishing Point" tonight. 1971, described as THE car chase movie.
We agreed that it amounted to a lot of rolls off a random encounters table... in combination with an "early 70's stereotypes" checklist. The cinematography was good, if somewhat odd.
Oh, and there were zombies. Despite the fact that it was not a zombie film. They were completely ignored, had nothing to do with plot despite being present for most of the film, and became the most surreal element of the entire thing.
It wasn't bad, overall. See it with a friend, and get ready for lots of wide open spaces and driving scenes. And some nice nudity.
We agreed that it amounted to a lot of rolls off a random encounters table... in combination with an "early 70's stereotypes" checklist. The cinematography was good, if somewhat odd.
Oh, and there were zombies. Despite the fact that it was not a zombie film. They were completely ignored, had nothing to do with plot despite being present for most of the film, and became the most surreal element of the entire thing.
It wasn't bad, overall. See it with a friend, and get ready for lots of wide open spaces and driving scenes. And some nice nudity.
Scope this out
Jul. 23rd, 2006 21:05Saw "Through a Scanner Darkly". I think I had seen something about it when it was being made, due to the fact that it's the first feature-length film in... maybe ever... to use rotoscoping almost continuously.
It's a Philip K. Dick story, and feels like it may be the one truest to the written word that I've seen. It certainly had his style in spades -- "Bladerunner" was a good movie, but it barely touched the underlying currents that he tends to have. (Not to mention that it, like all the others I've seen, grabbed a single idea and ran with it, rather than trying to actually do the book.)
"Scanner" watched like his books read. Disjointed sometimes, edgy, a little disturbing in events and implications. The plot, and what people do to each other, is gently horrific, showing crimes against fellow man without any fanfare or sign that says "Isn't this awful?" They're presented as commonplace, unremarkable. That's what makes him so disturbing.
The rotoscoping was a good touch. It made everything move a little strangely; lines didn't stay put, shadows shifted, furniture drifted when you saw it out of the corner of your eye. It was a drug-trip sort of effect, which was wholly appropriate. It was somewhere between real and not-real, film and animation, so that it was hard to say where one ended and the other began. I think Dick would have liked it.
It's a good movie. Quite a bit of swearing at points (mentally unstable characters can do that sometimes), nudity, a bit of sex. Nothing shocking for the bohemian crew I know, but the neighbor might not appreciate having her 10-year old taken to it. It is worth seeing.
It's a Philip K. Dick story, and feels like it may be the one truest to the written word that I've seen. It certainly had his style in spades -- "Bladerunner" was a good movie, but it barely touched the underlying currents that he tends to have. (Not to mention that it, like all the others I've seen, grabbed a single idea and ran with it, rather than trying to actually do the book.)
"Scanner" watched like his books read. Disjointed sometimes, edgy, a little disturbing in events and implications. The plot, and what people do to each other, is gently horrific, showing crimes against fellow man without any fanfare or sign that says "Isn't this awful?" They're presented as commonplace, unremarkable. That's what makes him so disturbing.
The rotoscoping was a good touch. It made everything move a little strangely; lines didn't stay put, shadows shifted, furniture drifted when you saw it out of the corner of your eye. It was a drug-trip sort of effect, which was wholly appropriate. It was somewhere between real and not-real, film and animation, so that it was hard to say where one ended and the other began. I think Dick would have liked it.
It's a good movie. Quite a bit of swearing at points (mentally unstable characters can do that sometimes), nudity, a bit of sex. Nothing shocking for the bohemian crew I know, but the neighbor might not appreciate having her 10-year old taken to it. It is worth seeing.
Unexpected movie
Jul. 9th, 2006 01:20Saw "Thank You For Smoking". Really, really funny. Had heard it was a good movie, shrugged, and figured that while it probably was good, it was also not likely to be my sort of movie.
I was wrong about that. We laughed hysterically many times, and were cheering for the antihero by the end.
If I say one thing about this movie (other than "funny"): if you don't think you'd like it from the descriptions, give it a try anyway. It's that clever.
I was wrong about that. We laughed hysterically many times, and were cheering for the antihero by the end.
If I say one thing about this movie (other than "funny"): if you don't think you'd like it from the descriptions, give it a try anyway. It's that clever.
I don't understand myself
Mar. 2nd, 2006 19:27Sometimes, what you think makes sense isn't actually the way things work.
I'm about to go rent X-Men. Again. I seem to watch one of the two movies every six to nine months. I don't know why; they're not the best movies I've ever seen. Yet I have the urge to rewatch them more than anything else.
I need to buy them, I guess. Weird.
I'm about to go rent X-Men. Again. I seem to watch one of the two movies every six to nine months. I don't know why; they're not the best movies I've ever seen. Yet I have the urge to rewatch them more than anything else.
I need to buy them, I guess. Weird.
I've had a good day.
This evening, I threw a whole chicken into a pot, set it to simmer, and went with the Weasel to see "Good Night, and Good Luck" at the Parkway. Before we left, my mom announced that I had mail, including... a package from Jeph Jacques. A very soft, squishy package.
I couldn't resist. I tore it open and brought out my Pintsize hoodie, which I had so wanted for Christmas and now I have one :D Packed in with it was an XL "Music + Science = Sexy" shirt, so now I have that too. eeeeeeeee!
So I wore the hoodie over my Impact shirt, and we trekked off on the countercommute on a Friday. It was surprisingly light traffic, which got us to the theater 45 minutes early... time enough to find parking just around the corner, buy tickets, find a soft couch up front, and order food. We were even able to settle the food the way we wanted it before the show started.
About the Parkway -- somewhat different than I had expected, mostly in good ways. The main floor is flat, not sloped, and there are many more types of seating than just the couches... individual comfy chairs, cocktail seating, long stretches of bar seating, and finally the three-person couches slipcovered in soft denim. Any way you want to sit, they have it, and plenty of it, too. Oh, and the over-21 restriction made for an audience that felt much more comfortable with itself; we were all adults there.
So much warm comfort at that theater, they made us feel very welcome. The movie was very good, so much depth and a couple of powerful main actors made for a movie that never faltered. The food was good, too -- Nick's pizza was, well, a good pizza, but he remarked on how good my nachos smelled and they tasted even better than that.
We snuggled up, watched a great story, and went home feeling like we had really shared something special. At $5 each for tickets, and about $25 in food, it could be cheaper... but if we were to not have dinner, just a bowl of popcorn (with real butter!) and sodas, it would be an affordable date night, done every few weeks. I suggested we do that, and he agreed, assuming of course that they have something we want to see. I expect that they'll have something during each four-week period, really, as they show so many things.
The free fan-service night coming up is Time Bandits, by the way... get there early, because the last fan-service show they did "sold out", in that they couldn't cram any more people in.
I have a great sense of well-being right now, having gone on a wonderful date with my sweetie. We'll have to do this again, soon. :)
Right now, though, I've taken the chicken off the bones, and I need to get back to chopping veggies for soup; I'm hoping to can it up before I go to bed. Wish me luck.
This evening, I threw a whole chicken into a pot, set it to simmer, and went with the Weasel to see "Good Night, and Good Luck" at the Parkway. Before we left, my mom announced that I had mail, including... a package from Jeph Jacques. A very soft, squishy package.
I couldn't resist. I tore it open and brought out my Pintsize hoodie, which I had so wanted for Christmas and now I have one :D Packed in with it was an XL "Music + Science = Sexy" shirt, so now I have that too. eeeeeeeee!
So I wore the hoodie over my Impact shirt, and we trekked off on the countercommute on a Friday. It was surprisingly light traffic, which got us to the theater 45 minutes early... time enough to find parking just around the corner, buy tickets, find a soft couch up front, and order food. We were even able to settle the food the way we wanted it before the show started.
About the Parkway -- somewhat different than I had expected, mostly in good ways. The main floor is flat, not sloped, and there are many more types of seating than just the couches... individual comfy chairs, cocktail seating, long stretches of bar seating, and finally the three-person couches slipcovered in soft denim. Any way you want to sit, they have it, and plenty of it, too. Oh, and the over-21 restriction made for an audience that felt much more comfortable with itself; we were all adults there.
So much warm comfort at that theater, they made us feel very welcome. The movie was very good, so much depth and a couple of powerful main actors made for a movie that never faltered. The food was good, too -- Nick's pizza was, well, a good pizza, but he remarked on how good my nachos smelled and they tasted even better than that.
We snuggled up, watched a great story, and went home feeling like we had really shared something special. At $5 each for tickets, and about $25 in food, it could be cheaper... but if we were to not have dinner, just a bowl of popcorn (with real butter!) and sodas, it would be an affordable date night, done every few weeks. I suggested we do that, and he agreed, assuming of course that they have something we want to see. I expect that they'll have something during each four-week period, really, as they show so many things.
The free fan-service night coming up is Time Bandits, by the way... get there early, because the last fan-service show they did "sold out", in that they couldn't cram any more people in.
I have a great sense of well-being right now, having gone on a wonderful date with my sweetie. We'll have to do this again, soon. :)
Right now, though, I've taken the chicken off the bones, and I need to get back to chopping veggies for soup; I'm hoping to can it up before I go to bed. Wish me luck.
It's the little things
Jul. 15th, 2005 20:34I'm enjoying my paid status on LJ (thanks again, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
knaveofhearts). I haven't got all the icons uploaded that I want -- I'm still lacking one of me -- but I'm slowly putting them up there.
I just came back from a second viewing of Howl's Moving Castle. I missed the first five minutes (I went to the wrong theater in Emeryville... I'm just glad anyone at all was still showing it). So I missed the magical skywalk. That's okay... I still saw more than enough to make me happy.
Princess Mononoke was a very good movie. Spirited Away, for whatever reason, just wasn't as good for me as it was for everyone else, I guess... I had no particular desire to see it again. But somehow, Miyazaki managed to strike just the right note with me in Howl's... it's enchanting, and it sparkles like Mononoke-hime was a little too dark to do. I absolutely love fairy tales, and this one is just perfect. Achingly beautiful.
I have a new favorite movie. Most definitely. :)
I'm feeling a distinct urge to be nice to myself, do a little pampering. Maybe I'll walk down to the 7-11 later, just for fun. I'll be floating for the rest of tonight, might as well enjoy my good mood.
knaveofhearts). I haven't got all the icons uploaded that I want -- I'm still lacking one of me -- but I'm slowly putting them up there.I just came back from a second viewing of Howl's Moving Castle. I missed the first five minutes (I went to the wrong theater in Emeryville... I'm just glad anyone at all was still showing it). So I missed the magical skywalk. That's okay... I still saw more than enough to make me happy.
Princess Mononoke was a very good movie. Spirited Away, for whatever reason, just wasn't as good for me as it was for everyone else, I guess... I had no particular desire to see it again. But somehow, Miyazaki managed to strike just the right note with me in Howl's... it's enchanting, and it sparkles like Mononoke-hime was a little too dark to do. I absolutely love fairy tales, and this one is just perfect. Achingly beautiful.
I have a new favorite movie. Most definitely. :)
I'm feeling a distinct urge to be nice to myself, do a little pampering. Maybe I'll walk down to the 7-11 later, just for fun. I'll be floating for the rest of tonight, might as well enjoy my good mood.
I need to note down what movies I need to see, and which ones I need to show other people. Here's one for the "Memories" list...
I need to see:
Willow, which I have still never seen all the way through
Legend, never seen it either
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Casino
Moulin Rouge
Victor, Victoria
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
The Big Lebowski
Goodfellas
Napoleon Dynamite
La Cage aux Folles
All of the Austin Powers movies... I saw the first one, but can't recall it, and never did see any of the others.
Alan Rickman movies:
Sense and Sensibility
Bob Roberts
Love Actually
I'd like to check out movies with Sir Ian McKellan and Liam Neeson (rewatching Rob Roy would be tasty)
Movies to rewatch:
Die Hard
Beyond Thunderdome
The Lost Ark
Red Sonja
Explorers, if I can find a rental store that has it
Ghostbusters
Blazing Saddles
Twelve Monkeys
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Seen it:
The Graduate
The Usual Suspects
The Birdcage - That was fun.
The Game
Lilo and Stitch
Shaun of the Dead
Run Lola Run
The Last Starfighter (yes, again)
Die Another Day - That had to be one of the most poorly-done James Bond movies I've ever seen.
The Royal Tenenbaums - what a waste of a perfectly good forty-five minutes.
I need to show:
Running Time to everyone but Celeste, she's seen it
The Knack to everyone
Dungeons and Dragons to Emmett
Blazing Starships (the fan-MST3K of Star Trek V) to Emmett, at the very least
The American President to Emmett
I finally saw Pirates of the Caribbean and The Blues Brothers, and I did fill in the Terry Gilliam trilogy with Brazil a while back. If you guys want to toss out movie titles of really good or really memorable movies, that would help me fill in the list. Nothing that will leave scars on my retinas, please... :)
TV series are a whole separate post, of course.
I need to see:
Willow, which I have still never seen all the way through
Legend, never seen it either
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Casino
Moulin Rouge
Victor, Victoria
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
The Big Lebowski
Goodfellas
Napoleon Dynamite
La Cage aux Folles
All of the Austin Powers movies... I saw the first one, but can't recall it, and never did see any of the others.
Alan Rickman movies:
Sense and Sensibility
Bob Roberts
Love Actually
I'd like to check out movies with Sir Ian McKellan and Liam Neeson (rewatching Rob Roy would be tasty)
Movies to rewatch:
Die Hard
Beyond Thunderdome
The Lost Ark
Red Sonja
Explorers, if I can find a rental store that has it
Ghostbusters
Blazing Saddles
Twelve Monkeys
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Seen it:
The Graduate
The Usual Suspects
The Birdcage - That was fun.
The Game
Lilo and Stitch
Shaun of the Dead
Run Lola Run
The Last Starfighter (yes, again)
Die Another Day - That had to be one of the most poorly-done James Bond movies I've ever seen.
The Royal Tenenbaums - what a waste of a perfectly good forty-five minutes.
I need to show:
Running Time to everyone but Celeste, she's seen it
The Knack to everyone
Dungeons and Dragons to Emmett
Blazing Starships (the fan-MST3K of Star Trek V) to Emmett, at the very least
The American President to Emmett
I finally saw Pirates of the Caribbean and The Blues Brothers, and I did fill in the Terry Gilliam trilogy with Brazil a while back. If you guys want to toss out movie titles of really good or really memorable movies, that would help me fill in the list. Nothing that will leave scars on my retinas, please... :)
TV series are a whole separate post, of course.
