Nanny McPhee: Watched this at my parent's house on tv last time I was down. First I started from about a half hour in and watched to the end. Then it came on again immediately afterward so I watched the first half hour. Kinda odd, but mostly in a whimsical way. I always wonder when I watch something on tv if they have cut out the parts that would have made it a really sweet and kind movie. The parts that don't advance the plot but advance the purpose of a film. Ah well. Maybe the opportunity will arise again to watch it sometime on dvd and I'll find out.
Vantage Point: Nice idea for a movie, having the same event replayed from different points of view. I wonder though if this couldn't have been taken to the extreme. Have so many different views that intertwine that maybe the characters never figure out what actually happen, but the viewer does.
Rambo: This is the most recent Rambo movie, fyi. The one that came out literally twenty years after the third one. I haven't seen any of the previous movies, so I really can't compare. That said though, this one ... wasn't bad ... I say that with some surprise. I think the key is that this movie really didn't try too hard. It was short: an hour and twenty minutes. The plot was straightforward. There is an awful lot of horribly graphic death and violence. *shrug* Plus I was amused the entire time because Julie Benz ( the female lead) plays a missionary in it. This is funny to me because she has a rather fascinating character on Buffy and Angel. She plays a prostitute who lived in the sixteen hundreds who becomes a rather evil vampire. Well, most of the time. She becomes human for a little while, then she's an evil vampire again, then she's a pregnant evil vampire, then she's a pregnant evil vampire who can't understand why she loves the life she's carrying so much and stakes herself to save her son. It's all very interesting on the show. And obviously makes her missionary character a little bit odd to me.
Gremlins: I now understand why people say a drawing that I did for drawing 6 looked like a gremlin. It did. I'll try to dig up a picture of it sometime, but i think it's in my brother's closet room cuz he liked it so much. Cute movie. Gizmo is adorable. Still don't really understand why the mogwi (sp?) become more mean when they multiply though...
Sunday, October 26
Whine cont.
Somehow I have developed a cough that is consuming my body. I'm not sure where it came from and it is exceedingly annoying. I'm losing my voice and can't sing at all. That makes me sad.
On another note, has it really been over a week and a half since i last posted? That doesn't sound right... I guess my mind has been even more on other things recently than I realized.
On another note, has it really been over a week and a half since i last posted? That doesn't sound right... I guess my mind has been even more on other things recently than I realized.
Thursday, October 16
Monday, October 13
Tears
Obituary:
Angela Michelle Vincent Elliott, 37, of Houston left us on October 8, 2008 after an heroic battle against inflammatory breast cancer with her loving husband Colin at her side. A tireless champion to eradicate the disease, Angie lobbied for research funding in Washington, D.C., Austin, Texas and Santa Fe, New Mexico, and was involved in the establishment of the Houston chapter of the Young Survival Coalition and the Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program at M.D. Anderson. She is also the author of "A Survivor's Creed" (www.survivorscreed.com). Angie deeply touched all those who came in contact with her and has inspired each of us to expand our horizons and reach beyond our respective comfort zones.Angie was born November 10, 1970 in Columbus, Ohio to Helen and William "Bud" Vincent, Jr and leaves behind a devoted husband, Colin; parents, Helen and Bud Vincent of St. Louis, MO; brother, Christian and wife Melanie of Cumbria, England; sister, Anne Marie Vincent and husband Brad Day of Charlottesville, VA. Angie was the loving daughter-in-law of Linda and Charles Elliott of Zionsville, IN.Services to celebrate Angie's life will be held Monday, October 13, 2008 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm at Bradshaw-Carter located at 1734 West Alabama, Houston, TX; and on Saturday, October 25, 2008 from 10:00am to 12:00pm at First Evangelical Free Church, 1375 Carmen Road, Manchester, MO.
Angela Michelle Vincent Elliott, 37, of Houston left us on October 8, 2008 after an heroic battle against inflammatory breast cancer with her loving husband Colin at her side. A tireless champion to eradicate the disease, Angie lobbied for research funding in Washington, D.C., Austin, Texas and Santa Fe, New Mexico, and was involved in the establishment of the Houston chapter of the Young Survival Coalition and the Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program at M.D. Anderson. She is also the author of "A Survivor's Creed" (www.survivorscreed.com). Angie deeply touched all those who came in contact with her and has inspired each of us to expand our horizons and reach beyond our respective comfort zones.Angie was born November 10, 1970 in Columbus, Ohio to Helen and William "Bud" Vincent, Jr and leaves behind a devoted husband, Colin; parents, Helen and Bud Vincent of St. Louis, MO; brother, Christian and wife Melanie of Cumbria, England; sister, Anne Marie Vincent and husband Brad Day of Charlottesville, VA. Angie was the loving daughter-in-law of Linda and Charles Elliott of Zionsville, IN.Services to celebrate Angie's life will be held Monday, October 13, 2008 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm at Bradshaw-Carter located at 1734 West Alabama, Houston, TX; and on Saturday, October 25, 2008 from 10:00am to 12:00pm at First Evangelical Free Church, 1375 Carmen Road, Manchester, MO.
Friday, October 3
Pets
Welcome home from the vet, Jasper! We missed you while you were gone!
In other news:
RIP Rose. RIP Misao
(Note to self: it is misfortunate that most of your favorite characters end up dying in books. Learn a lesson from this and stop naming pets after them.)
In other news:
RIP Rose. RIP Misao
(Note to self: it is misfortunate that most of your favorite characters end up dying in books. Learn a lesson from this and stop naming pets after them.)
Thursday, October 2
Wednesday, October 1
Quotes
Captain Hammer:
I hate the homeless (pause as he flips cue card) ness problem that plagues our city.
and later:
It may not feel too classy
Begging just to eat.
But you know who does that? Lassie!
And she always gets a treat.
So you wonder what your part is
Cause you're homeless and depressed
But home is where the heart is
So your real home's in your chest.
-Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog
I hate the homeless (pause as he flips cue card) ness problem that plagues our city.
and later:
It may not feel too classy
Begging just to eat.
But you know who does that? Lassie!
And she always gets a treat.
So you wonder what your part is
Cause you're homeless and depressed
But home is where the heart is
So your real home's in your chest.
-Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog
Recently Read
Don't Panic: Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Neil Gaiman
I promise this is the last Neil Gaiman book I read for a long time. There are two reasons for this. I don't have any more of his books that I haven't read before. I also don't think there are really any other Neil Gaiman books to read. I've pretty much gone through the main body of his work.
This book is fairly distant from most of Gaiman's other books though. It is funny, to be sure, but it's subject matter is funny, so that isn't particularly surprising. Douglas Adams was a unique talent, and Gaiman does his best to pay tribute to all of his life's work. Most interesting was seeing the way Adams adapted his creation to each new medium he tried. Radio, novels, theatre, television, movies, computer games, illustrated books: each required a different treatment uniquely suited to what the medium had to offer and what it couldn't do. Also interesting is seeing the influence Monty Python had on pretty much everything in British entertainment of this time period. For example the initial press release for the hardcover copy of Hitchhiker's contained the following praise:
Really entertaining and fun - John Cleese
Much funnier than anything John Cleese has ever written - Terry Jones
I know for a fact that John Cleese hasn't read it - Graham Chapman
Who is John Cleese? - Eric Idle
Really entertaining and fun - Michael Palin
Neil Gaiman
I promise this is the last Neil Gaiman book I read for a long time. There are two reasons for this. I don't have any more of his books that I haven't read before. I also don't think there are really any other Neil Gaiman books to read. I've pretty much gone through the main body of his work.
This book is fairly distant from most of Gaiman's other books though. It is funny, to be sure, but it's subject matter is funny, so that isn't particularly surprising. Douglas Adams was a unique talent, and Gaiman does his best to pay tribute to all of his life's work. Most interesting was seeing the way Adams adapted his creation to each new medium he tried. Radio, novels, theatre, television, movies, computer games, illustrated books: each required a different treatment uniquely suited to what the medium had to offer and what it couldn't do. Also interesting is seeing the influence Monty Python had on pretty much everything in British entertainment of this time period. For example the initial press release for the hardcover copy of Hitchhiker's contained the following praise:
Really entertaining and fun - John Cleese
Much funnier than anything John Cleese has ever written - Terry Jones
I know for a fact that John Cleese hasn't read it - Graham Chapman
Who is John Cleese? - Eric Idle
Really entertaining and fun - Michael Palin
Quotes
Billy/Dr. Horrible: (on finding out that his arch-nemisis Captian Hammer may be stopping by) Oh! Goodness! Look at my wrist, I've got to go!
Penny: What about your clothes?
Billy/Dr. Horrible: (opens washing machine at laundromat and closes it again quickly) I don't love these - see ya!
-From Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog
Penny: What about your clothes?
Billy/Dr. Horrible: (opens washing machine at laundromat and closes it again quickly) I don't love these - see ya!
-From Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog
Austen
This post will combine things recently read and things recently watched all into one post. I trust that since you have the fine taste and good breeding to be reading my blog in the first place, you will be able to handle a junction of two normally separate posts.
I've been somewhat immersed in Jane Austen for the last month. Since I graduated AP English under the reign of Orndorff and watching the movie is the same as reading the book, we'll call it a self-taught sprint class. And since it was self-taught, I won't require a well-thought out thesis for the final exam. Just a few casual notes and observations. There, did I cover myself well enough? :)
Once upon a time in high school, I read Pride and Prejudice. I don't remember if it was a class assignment, or if I just felt like it, or both. Well enough. A few years later, my friend Trish sat me down with a bunch of other people and had us watch the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. It was more or less six hours long. From what I recall it did an excellent job of following the book - but it was six hours long. Might as well just read the book, you know?
Then a couple of years ago the new Focus Features adaptation of Pride and Prejudice came out, starring Keira Knightly among others. I didn't see it in the theatre, but my mum bought it from Sam's when it came out on dvd and I watched it with her. It was wonderful! It captured all the wit and emotion and characterization of the book and managed to fit it all into two hours. They simply pruned a couple characters here, a dinner party there. I can't say my mum was overly thrilled with it though. A half hour in she was starting to wonder if all these people did was go to balls. So she gave the dvd to me.
This past month, I've watched it at least three times. I was in the mood for that type of movie, and since there aren't enough of them I simply had to keep rewatching this one. Ah well. I also thought that since I was so interested in the movie at the time I ought to reread the book. Which I very thoroughly enjoyed for the second time. Pride and Prejudice is definitely not a book that is considered a "classic" just because a bunch of ancient college proffessors thought it should be. It's enjoyable. Once you slip into the correct mental mindset to make sense of everything they are saying, nothing could be funnier.
Having tackled Pride and Prejudice from several different angles, I thought I should read a few more of Jane Austen's works. Since a relative gave me a copy of Mansfield Park for Christmas a few years ago and I hadn't read it yet, this was fairly easily accomplished.
Well, except for the fact that Mansfield Park is kinda boring. None of the characters have the life that those of her earlier works do. The humor is far more subdued, as though Austen didn't want people to think that all she was capable of was wit. The plot was engaging while I read it, and there are some interesting comments on what is moral. It isn't a book that one would look back on with fondness and warmly suggest to all one's friends though.
The last portion of my self-study consisted of watching Sense and Sensibility, directed by Ang Lee and starring Emma Thompson, Kate Winslett, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, and in a small but pleasantly surprising and enjoyable role for all you House fans out there: Hugh Laurie. No, I didn't read the book, but Mr. Orndorff had us watch this movie in class instead of reading the book, so it must be the same thing, right? No, I'm kidding, it really isn't the same thing and someday I would like to read Sense and Sensibility. I suspect I would enjoy it a bit more than I did the movie. Not a bad movie, it just didn't grab me the way the way the new version of Pride and Prejudice did. I suppose that the particular way of talking and sense of humor which Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy share is what I like best.
I've been somewhat immersed in Jane Austen for the last month. Since I graduated AP English under the reign of Orndorff and watching the movie is the same as reading the book, we'll call it a self-taught sprint class. And since it was self-taught, I won't require a well-thought out thesis for the final exam. Just a few casual notes and observations. There, did I cover myself well enough? :)
Once upon a time in high school, I read Pride and Prejudice. I don't remember if it was a class assignment, or if I just felt like it, or both. Well enough. A few years later, my friend Trish sat me down with a bunch of other people and had us watch the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. It was more or less six hours long. From what I recall it did an excellent job of following the book - but it was six hours long. Might as well just read the book, you know?
Then a couple of years ago the new Focus Features adaptation of Pride and Prejudice came out, starring Keira Knightly among others. I didn't see it in the theatre, but my mum bought it from Sam's when it came out on dvd and I watched it with her. It was wonderful! It captured all the wit and emotion and characterization of the book and managed to fit it all into two hours. They simply pruned a couple characters here, a dinner party there. I can't say my mum was overly thrilled with it though. A half hour in she was starting to wonder if all these people did was go to balls. So she gave the dvd to me.
This past month, I've watched it at least three times. I was in the mood for that type of movie, and since there aren't enough of them I simply had to keep rewatching this one. Ah well. I also thought that since I was so interested in the movie at the time I ought to reread the book. Which I very thoroughly enjoyed for the second time. Pride and Prejudice is definitely not a book that is considered a "classic" just because a bunch of ancient college proffessors thought it should be. It's enjoyable. Once you slip into the correct mental mindset to make sense of everything they are saying, nothing could be funnier.
Having tackled Pride and Prejudice from several different angles, I thought I should read a few more of Jane Austen's works. Since a relative gave me a copy of Mansfield Park for Christmas a few years ago and I hadn't read it yet, this was fairly easily accomplished.
Well, except for the fact that Mansfield Park is kinda boring. None of the characters have the life that those of her earlier works do. The humor is far more subdued, as though Austen didn't want people to think that all she was capable of was wit. The plot was engaging while I read it, and there are some interesting comments on what is moral. It isn't a book that one would look back on with fondness and warmly suggest to all one's friends though.
The last portion of my self-study consisted of watching Sense and Sensibility, directed by Ang Lee and starring Emma Thompson, Kate Winslett, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, and in a small but pleasantly surprising and enjoyable role for all you House fans out there: Hugh Laurie. No, I didn't read the book, but Mr. Orndorff had us watch this movie in class instead of reading the book, so it must be the same thing, right? No, I'm kidding, it really isn't the same thing and someday I would like to read Sense and Sensibility. I suspect I would enjoy it a bit more than I did the movie. Not a bad movie, it just didn't grab me the way the way the new version of Pride and Prejudice did. I suppose that the particular way of talking and sense of humor which Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy share is what I like best.
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