Or in other words, Stockholm Syndrome on the Silver Screen.
Sometimes, I get in movie phases. Recently, I've been in a black-and-white kind of mood. I do have quite the collection on hand of pre-1960 movies, but sometimes, it's nice to try something that you've never seen and have no reference for. Hence, Netflix!
Netflix knows me so well. There is a whole queue of classic films, just for me. ;)
The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown
Ironically, there wasn't a hint of pink to be seen in the whole movie! I'd like to know where people get the titles from sometimes. The only nightgown on screen was clearly white and was the most modest thing I've ever seen. Unless they mentioned it was pink in the script and I just didn't hear it? But even in black and white film, you can tell when something is supposed to be colored, right?
Look at that nightgown: pioneers wore more revealing things!
Anyway, I can't say this film has lots to recommend it. Jane Russell is supposed to be a big deal, and she was appropriately the best part of the movie. Everyone else was very stiff, especially her romantic lead.
However, the part that intrigued me, was at the very beginning. Jane drives through the studio lot, obviously a big deal by how easily she breezes by everything. She parks where she wants and tells her producer that she wants more shots of her in the trailer she previews. So I expect her to be another Singin' in the Rain drama queen: shallow, conceited and not too bright.
I was surprised then when she was talking to a friend, getting ready for a premiere when she says that it was ok for everyone to boss her around, but when she tries to do the EXACT SAME THINGS, she is villainized for it. And it's so true. Women in male dominated fields are villified for demonstrating the same traits that male counterparts earn praise for. And I was intrigued that she would express that opinion, which was pretty forward thinking for a film from the 50's.
Otherwise, the script is pretty weak, the acting more-so, and the premise that one would fall in love with someone that originally just wanted to take (monetary) advantage of them is kind of squirm-worthy. But I will say Jane's actress is a note-worthy feminist trying to have some control over her career and I found it blog-worthy.
To preface this post, I've wanted to see this movie for ages, like ever since I fell deeply in love with Tom Jones and his "She's a Lady" song.
I found out that it was featured on this movie with the super long title, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. Basically, it features Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and John Leguizamo as drag queens. And basically, they change everyone's live they meet.
It was a little hard to get past Swayze in a dress. But he was just so CLASSY. Seriously, I would have worn any one of Swayze outfits.
I found out that Swayze and Snipes were up for the Academy awards for best actor and best supporting actor. Dudes, they totally should have gotten it. You try acting wearing high heels and well tailored dresses.
Of course, it can't be Swayze night without another Swayze film. And that is the ultimate classic, Dirty Dancing.
Mmmmmhmm, folks, Johnny Castle. The sis and I have a lot of fun imagining the perfect casting of the ultimate remake. You know it's going to happen eventually.
This is what we think so far:
Baby: Jennifer Lawerence (seriously, she is basically perfect for every role.)
Johnny Castle: Tatum Channing
Baby's father: Mark Harmon
Baby's mother: Jennifer Grey (it would be perfect if she did a cameo as the mother)
uhhhh...that is about as far as we got. But it would be perfect if Hollywood would just listen to us!
Apparently, I need to watch Ghost, another Swayze classic. It's too bad he went so young and such a hard way to go. Very talented actor.
I spied it in the library and I HAD to get it. Mostly because I saw a preview of it on another movie and I noticed James MacAvoy was in it as Macbeth, and I was like, DANG, that has to be good. So I finally checked it out and ladies and gentlemen...
It has blown me away. They retell four of Shakespeare's classic plays: Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado about Nothing, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. I watched two today and they were SUPERB. You'd think that there wouldn't be much more that could be said about the Bard, but the way the actors and directors interpreted the play...they seriously couldn't have done a better job. They made it classic and contemporary all at once. Believable yet delightfully imaginative. LOVED IT.
BBC, you've done yourself proud.
Review? Consider it highly recommended.
UPDATE: My Something Borrowed post came back! Woo! Thanks, Blogger!
So I just got home from watching this movie and I have to vent. To be considered a valid movie critic I should probably wait [probably] and put some objective thought into this, but nah, we are just going to go with what comes to mind.
Totally not worth the almost two hour run time. [I know, I know. I regularly watch movies with much longer run times. The thing is, they are actually good. So there, take that Hollywood.]
Rachel is in love with Dex for years but he is going to marry her best jerk-of-a-friend Darcy. Thanks to an overabundance of alcohol, Dex finds out that Rachel likes him and he tells her that he likes her back. Well, what do you know? Thus, the plot of the movie revolves around Rachel and Dex trying to figure out this thing [I am not even going to dignify whatever they have with the term "relationship"] while keeping Darcy in the dark. Meanwhile, Darcy has her own secrets and Johnathan Krasinski plays Rachel's other best friend who has his own flame.
Flaws:
Rachel plays the victim the whole movie. Enough with the "woe is me" crap. Grow a backbone, woman!
Rachel constantly enables Darcy's narcissism. It begins to drag on after awhile.
Darcy is a jerk without a soul who only likes to party. I can handle jerks as long as there is some explanation. No one becomes a jerk just because. There is always a reason and it's lazy screenwriting to not go into it.
Dex is passive, personality-less, and cowardly. [Albeit, he is attractive. This is his only strength in the entire movie.] Seriously man, be a man.
Way too much sex for the sake of sex without any meaning.
Rachel ends up with the wrong guy. [Strictly a matter of opinion, but hey, it's my blog.]
I hate the best friend love story. Breaks my heart everytime.
Strengths:
John Krasinski is really the only likable character. However, he has his own flaws, which in the end work in his favor. He isn't perfect but he is a heck of a lot better than the rest of the characters.
Like I mentioned earlier, Dex is attractive. That is his only strength. Except, over the course of the movie he loses man-points by failing to stand up to his fiance, chase his dreams, go after the girl he actually loves, admit his real feelings, to stand up to his parents, etc, etc. What does Rachel see in him? Only heaven knows, really, at this point. I'm pretty sure she doesn't even know why she likes the man.
Summary:
I knew from the get-go that this movie wasn't garnering rave reviews, so I pretty much got what I asked for. Still, it had such potential if only it was completely different...
P.S: I spent the whole movie trying to figure this out, but what exactly is the "something borrowed" that the title referred to? I realize that this movie is based on a book [it's definitely not on the "to-read" list] with the same title, but really, it doesn't make any sense. I get that it is referencing the whole "something borrowed, something blue, something old and something new" wedding tradition but either I missed the borrowed metaphor or it was completely absent which is another example of bad writing. Trust me, it's all in the hand of the writers.
No joke.
I am not seem like the type of person to go all superhero nuts, but I am totally gaga over Thor. This is partially due to my love of all things Scandinavia and also, I am just a geek at heart. Iron Man and Batman (not the Christian Bale version) are also on my love list.
Here's to hoping Thor doesn't disappoint. It shouldn't. Everything I've read thus far has had only nice things to say.
Did you know Kenneth Branagh directed it?
This calls for only one word: epic.
I love making lists, especially top ten lists. Since Bollywood is a recent obsession, I've decided to compile one long blog post dedicated to that which I love most. Aaaaand, I had some time on my hands when I finished taking a test and couldn't leave...
So, the rating is purely of my own devising.Expect a lot of personal opinion here and not a lot of legitimate movie criticism. There will be five categories. Music, Characters, Plot, Costuming, and Overall rating, out of five stars, the stars being this * symbol.
*= No bueno
**=Meh, could have been better
***=I liked it while I watched it
****=I loved it and showed it to friends and family
*****=Loved it, spread it around, and was still talking about it even after I returned the movie
/=half rating
To make it musically, the songs have to be memorable or catchy. Characters means that I like the characters portrayed or the actors that play them. Plot basically judges whether or not the story makes sense. I mean, some story-lines are ridiculous, but they still are good. Some story-lines are just dumb (and probably didn't make the list. Believe it or not, I have seen more than 10 Bollywood movies, so that makes me qualified to even make a top ten. Obviously.) Costuming! This is one of my most favorite parts of Bollywood films; the costuming. There was a rough patch there, in the late nineties, early 2000's where the costumes were really, just awful. But then again, fashion was awful everywhere...I mean, Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys were the trend-setters then...Yup. Not a great time for fashion. Lastly, there is the overall rating, which is the order of the list.
Let's start from the bottom and work our way to the top, shall we?
10. Saawariya
This was my very, very first Bollywood film, way back in the days when my family used to get movie rentals every couple of weeks. (I guess this fever was a long time coming.) It has been ages since I've seen it, but it has stuck with me. It has also served as a sort of litmus test for friendships. I knew when one of my then new college roommates had seen it that we were going to BFFs. I mean, when you live in the USA and have both seen a movie than is only marginally available, along with a handful of other strange or rare movies, then you know you have to be friends.
Anyways, back to the movie. It had a strange, unreal, poetic dreamlike flavor to it. Kind of reminds me of Moulin Rouge. I love movies that really take me to another time and place, and this movie was ambiguous enough, that you weren't sure if it was a fairytale or not. Needless to say, I wouldn't mind seeing this one again. The title links to the IMDb page, so you can find a summary because I am afraid that I would give too much away. Here is my opinion though: The story wasn't quite what I expected and I enjoyed it even more so because of that. The main character was adorable and a heart-stealer. The costuming gets the rating it does because of the whole feel of the movie; it was all so magical.
Music: **/ (Three and a half because one song was particularly memorable, even after all these years.)
Characters:**/
Plot: ***
Costuming:***/
Overall:**/
9. Bride and Prejudice
Just kidding guys, this might have been my very first "Bollywood" film. I put Bollywood in quotations because I am still not quite sure if I would classify this as Bollywood, mostly because there is just so much English! Haha, you get so used to hearing Hindi that listening to the movie in English is just odd. But it does have the typical song and dance. Aaand I love the wedding dance. I recommended this movie to a friend, except I forgot to mention that it was a musical, and it threw them for a loop when the first song happened. But I do love the storyline. I mean, it's Jane Austen's classic tale! Everyone loves a good love/hate relationship story that ends in marriage.
Music:****
Characters:**/ (Love Aishwarya Rai as Elizabeth, but not so sure I like Martin Henderson as Darcy.)
Plot:****
Costuming: *** (Really appreciate traditional Indian dress. It's so bright and colorful!)
Overall:***/
8. Pardes
Beautiful Shak Rukh Khan plays the best friend. He was basically adopted by a rich Indian businessman in American, and when his adopted father wants to arrange a marriage for his jerk of a (biological) son, he asks Shak Rukh Khan to make it happen. Besides the romance of the story, this story really made me think about the culture shock that Indian brides can go through. India is unique because of the tradition of arranged marriages but as India becomes more and more integrated with the world, they have to find a way to adjust their unique traditions with other cultures.
Music:**/
Characters:**** (Oh-my-freaking-goodness...so Shak Rukh Khan's character does the stupidest, most dramatic, possibly most romantic thing ever, potentially suffering severe nerve damage. We all screamed, like seriously screamed when it happened.)
Plot:***
Costuming: ***
Overall:***
7. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
This is the most recent one. We watched it last night. Since I cannot pronounce all the different k-words, I use its shortened nickname: K3G. So much simpler. The best part of this movie? So much eye-candy. I also loved the relationship between the brothers, and the portrayal of a mother's love. So touching.
Music:**/
Characters:*** (Kajol's character was slightly annoying, but her younger sister was even more so. I wouldn't mind just watching Shak Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan the whole movie, but having better female characters would have made the movie that much better.)
Plot:****
Costuming:** (One of the characters has NO fashion sense. She wears bell-bottoms with the front cut out, so it's capris in the front, bell-bottoms in the back. Ulghhh)
Overall: ***/ (I wanted to love this one more than I did. I mean, it has Hrithik Roshan aaaaand Shak Rukh Khan. But I didn't absolutely love it, which made me sad inside.)
6. Vivah
Super sweet movie detailing the growth of relationship between a recently (arranged) engaged couple. The girl is sweet and loyal. The boy is super cute and is head-over-heels in love. The plot took a completely unforeseen turn towards the last hour or so of the movie. It was interesting, but I don't think it was completely necessary. It could have ended much sooner, still with the same ending! But still, I like it. This movie made me want even more than ever that arranged marriages were acceptable in LDS culture. ;)
Music:***/
Characters:****
Plot:***
Costuming:***
Overall:***/
5. Dhoom 2
If you recall, I shared a video from this movie previously here. This is an action/romance/buddy-cop/heist/thriller movie. Can you believe it, all in one?! Mr. A (Hrithik Roshan) is the world's most successful thief and a cop and his sidekick have decided to take him down. The movie goes from India to Rio, with music and dancing included. Aishwarya Rai is a girl thief who intrigues Mr. A, so he takes her on as a protege (that's the romance part). I watched the songs over and over again. :) Have yet to see the first Dhoom...
Music:****
Characters:***/ (Just because I love Hrithik Roshan sooo much)
Plot:****
Costuming:***
Overall:****
4.Om Shanti Om
This was my first Shak Rukh Khan movie. I love, love, love him. I remember a girl telling me about this movie like last year, and I was like, 'yah, yeh, whatever'. Little did I know what joy this movie beholds! This movie has it all: reincarnation, character growth, bad guys, 70's parody, aaaand Shak Rukh Khan. Seriously, he is so so beautiful. At first, the movie starts out in 70's Bollywood and Shak Rukh Khan is hidden under hideous polyester and 70's mustache. Just wait though. Wait. He comes back. Modern day and BUILT. Based solely on Shak Rukh Khan's presence, he puts this movie into the top five. The plot isn't that bad either. It's also somewhat a parody of modern Bollywood with a lot of special appearances from lots of big names. It's funny cause the more I see, the more people I begin to recognize.
3. Jodhaa Akbar
I already posted about this movie here, so I won't go through my rave review again, but just to let you know, this is what started it all. This is also really the only historical one I've seen so far. I have started watching Lagaan (another historical Bollywood, but this time about British India) but haven't finished it yet, so I am not sure where it will fit in this whole list thing. Keep an eye out.
Music:****
Characters:****
Plot:*****
Costuming:**** (The mustache was a little weird, not going to lie...)
Overall:*****
2. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ)
I want you to know that this is the longest running film in Indian cinema. It's been playing constantly for something like 15 years! I hope it keeps playing long enough that I can actually see it in India, someday (new life goal, yes indeed.) This movie also set the bar in Bollywood for romance. In another film, its entire premise was based on DDLJ. The main couple, Raj and Simran, have become synonymous with true love. True love, I tell you.
Music:****
Characters:*****
Plot:*****
Costuming:***
Overall:*****
And now, ladies and gentlemen, here is my top choice. Ready?
I don't know what it is, but the whole story of best friends who fall in love gets me every time. Well, this is really two, almost three, love stories, but only one broke my heart. Seriously, I was simply in tears at intermission. I loved Shak Rukh Khan (Rahul) and Kajol (Anjali). They have this sweet handshake thing that they do, between them. It's a sign of true friendship. And Rahul's little girl is quite adorable. AND his HAIR. I don't know how he does it, but his hair is absolutely beautiful every time!
Music:****
Characters:*****
Plot:*****
Costuming:**/ (It was hideous at the beginning, but got better as time went on.)
Overall:*****
Honorable Mentions: Jaane tu--ya Jaane na; includes the three requirements for a boy to become a man. Plus some great quotables. "Uh, sir, the terrorist is meowing..." Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani; interesting look at the role of media in the govt., especially where corruption is concerned. However, some awful costumes and some silly moments.
Well, there is it. My top ten list. As you can tell, Shak Rukh Khan is slightly over-represented (5/10 movies!) but I can't help it! I just adore him so much. Next most represented, Hrithik Roshan, of course. Believe it or not, there were actually some SRK (Shak Rukh Khan) movies I've seen that didn't make the list. Sometimes he does make silly ones.
Oo, what I'm looking forward to? The first superhero Bollywood film. Hmmmmmmmm. :)
Last night I went with an old friend to see a movie. It's what we do. She had already seen this movie, and spoke quite highly about it, so I was quite eager to see, regardless of my less-than-affectionate feelings for the Bronte sisters.
It was, in fact, quite good.
As has been mentioned before, on numerous occasions, I don't do well with suspense. I get so involved in the story, that any suspense just destroys my nerves, so I was a little hesitant to watch this movie because of the genre classification. Often, the Bronte's works are classified as Gothic romance, so there was some level of mystery attached to the story, I mean, come on, it's Jane EYRE. There is a creepy, insane woman who walks around late at night, setting fire to things and screaming. So, there was some suspense as we watch Jane unfolding the mysteries around Mr. Rochester and Thornfield Hall. And it's sad. Any book that depicts early 19th century education for orphans always makes me very sad. Life is so dreary and depressing and the teachers are basically of the devil. No wonder no one likes teachers, because for almost as long as there has been literature, teachers have been vilified. Lastly, it wouldn't be complete (or a Bronte novel) without the dark, brooding Bryonic hero.
Mostly, I just get fed up with the heroes. Mr. Rochester is grumpy, mean and mysterious and yet, he still manages to make Jane fall in love with him. What the heck, right? If you met him in real life, the chances of him being this über romantic figure would be much, much less. No one actually likes being around people like him, they just like reading about him. It's OK that he is a jerk to every other character in the story,just as long as you don't have to ever talk to him.
The same goes for a whole host of characters: Edward (Twilight or really, any modern-day paranormal YA romance...all of the protagonists are dark, depressed or depressing, and mysterious...but that will have to keep for another blog post), Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights), to some extent Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice). [[Trust me, I can make a good argument for Mr. Darcy.]]
I was quite impressed, however, with Jane and the actress, Mia Wasikowska, that played her. Even though Jane hasn't got much, she still had an inner-strength that was extraordinary and Mia portrayed it subtly and effectively. She wasn't faint-prone or annoying. She simply stated things as they were and dreamt of better things. Yes, I was very impressed with her.
I think I would like to read the book again, just to give the Bronte's another chance.
Have any of you seen the movie or other versions? What do you think, either of the book or movie?
Well, to be honest, it isn't quite looking up to be the idyllic ideal weekend. Grading deadlines are looming ever nearer...
HOWEVER
My roommate whipped out this little gem. While I only watched bits and pieces of it, I feel like it's going to be an Oscar Wilde Weekend. So word clever. LoVe It.
Recommendations?
So watch something that makes you think. Be it lots of words or challenging topic or foreign language. Just do it.
Bake something. Doing things with your hands relieves stress and impresses all of your friends with your handy skills.
Be helpful and honest. You really can't be one without the other.
Lastly, laugh. Life isn't worth it if you can't find something to have a good laugh about.
I am going to try to accomplish most of this list, hopefully more, to the tune of 75 papers calling my name to grade. Ah, the life of a history TA.
ALSO.
This just in: Today I was hired on as the program facilitator for the BYU Norwegian Study Abroad! Do I know what that means yet; no, not entirely, but you can be sure that I am super stoked about it!!! I will let you know more as soon as I know more. Keep an eye out.
Have a lovely weekend. Even ideal, if you can manage it.
:)
Just so you know, still in the Bollywood phase. I was sick this weekend so of course, what better way to nurse a cold than to stay in and watch crazy action-drama-romance-musicals?
I submit that there is no better way.
The movie above is from the movie Dhoom 2. It has the same people that were in Jodhaa Akbar. Hrithik Roshan is a beautiful, beautiful man. (Trust me...just google him. So pretty...)
Who can dance.
What more can you ask for?
So, here is the song that encapsulates my entire weekend.
Fun, huh?
p.s. Dhoom Machale roughly translate into "Rock On".
It takes a certain combination of factors to watch a Bollywood movie. First, you have to be in the mood for a really, really, really long movie. Second, you have to enjoy frequent singing and dancing that may or may not have anything to do with the actual plot. Third, you have to enjoy fantastic costume design with so many colors and jewelry, it will make your head spin. If you are feeling all of these things, then Bollywood is there for you. As it turns out, last night was a Bollywood night. The movie? Jodhaa Akbar
This wasn't necessarily out of the blue. I had heard really good things about it from an acquaintance or two. It's really interesting to note that when you have a interest in something that isn't really mainstream, like Bollywood, you tend to hear the same things brought up by different people. For instance, when you are talking to someone and you say, "Oh I happen to like Bollywood movies as well", then there are only so many that are here in the U.S. and there is a pretty big chance you've seen many of the same ones. OK, and just to set the record straight, to be a fan of Bollywood, Bride and Prejudicecannot be your only exposure. It's not even completely Bollywood. It's heavily influenced by Bollywood, but it has too many trappings of Hollywood to be "real" Bollywood. Although, if you like that movie, going Bollywood all the way won't be that much more difficult. Do it. You will like it.
Start with Jodhaa Akbar. (Warning: Since this is a Bollywood movie, be prepared for the three and a half hour watch time.)
But it is so worth it.
I mean, just look at them!
Can you think of a more beautiful couple? Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is quickly becoming one of my heros. She was crowed Miss World in 1994 and is frequently referred to as "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World". And from everything that I've read about her, she acts like it too. Even though she is beautiful, she doesn't act like a witch. She has her values and beliefs and I admire that.
The male lead, Hrithik Roshan, is absolutely wonderful too. All I've seen is this movie but what a character to play! He plays Mughal Emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar who is trying to unite all of 16th century Hindustan (India). As the first Mughal emperor actually born in India, he cares more for the country and people than for his actual title. He tries to show his people to be accepting of others' differences, particularly differences in religion. Especially in a country like India which has a large Muslim minority and Hindu majority, tolerance is a lesson that is just as appropriate today as it was four hundred years ago. Even for places outside of India, tolerance is a valuable lesson to learn.
I have my own beliefs of what I think the world should be like and what religion to observe. But even if I don't agree with you, I hope I would be mature enough to value your opinion and listen to what you have to say. I think respect is something that too few people give to others and that causes problems. No one is perfect, so being high and mighty is hypocritical and unhelpful. If this world is ever going to get better, people are going to have to start thinking beyond their wants and needs and working together to find solutions to the very serious problems that we all face.
But I digress. Back to the movie. So to preserve peace in his country and to expand his borders, Emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar makes a strategic marital alliance with a Hindu Rajput princess (Aishwarya Rai). The crux here is that Hindus and Muslims don't mix. So there is a lot of lessons that both sides must learn. Your heart aches when they misunderstand each other. Which is a sign of a good movie if you still identify with the characters, even though they are speaking a different language and all you have to go off of is subtitles. (Another warning: This movie is NOT in English, but is does have English subtitles. You get used to it.)
All in all, great movie. There is some graphic battle sequences at the beginning. War elephants squishing people and such, but no sex. It was based on actual characters and events---to an extent. Any movie director is going to color outside the lines for the sake of the movie. Regardless, fact or fiction, I learned a lot and it was a visual treat. Lots of color, beautiful settings, beautiful people, and a wonderful story.
If you follow this blog, you have probably already seen this stuff on Facebook, but I couldn't help myself. This movie needs to be known.
Here's the story:
There is this thing called the Lost Media Archive. I can't find the website right now, but I will update it when I can get to it.
Shannon goes sometimes because she is cool like that and has unique friends. So anyway, it's a group that collects old and out-of-print things. Like things that you have never, ever heard of. Last night was the showing of this movie, The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit.
BEST. MOVIE. EVER.
Ray Bradbury, the author of Fahrenheit 451 and who is most well-known for his suspense/sci fi stuff, wrote this screenplay. It was actually a short story of his and it has actually been turned into a musical. A musical that still plays, like on stage. I am constantly amazed by what I don't know.
I can't believe I lived my whole life without this gem!
It was a slight shock to me to see someone who knew more obscure stuff than me. I'm usually the one showing people true film treasures. If The Shoe Fits, anyone? Who can forget Rob Lowe, Jennifer Grey, France, 80's fashion? It's the best. Apparently, it's hard to find online too, so I can't show you a picture. Boo. But if you are interested, give me a holler and we will watch it. I am only too happy to oblige (I have a VHS, yes, I am that cool).
Anyways, back to the Wonderful Ice Cream Suit!
It's about five Latino men in East LA who are down on their luck in various ways. They all come together and pitch in 20 bucks and buy a fantastic electric white suit.
Like, burn your retinas white.
...I can still see the suit dancing in front of my eyes...
Anyways, each of the men share the suit for one hour and each of their wildest dreams come true, thanks to the suit. Kind of like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants but BETTER.
There is mariachi music, Latin accents (in various degrees of awfulness) and superb quotable lines, i.e. the title of this here post. It's like, gooood stuff. If you manage to get your hands on it, again, give me a holler and we will have a party. There is nothing like good Latin movies and 80's.
Gosh. I love the 80's.
I took my little sister to see The Princess and the Frog. I was excited to see it. Everyone else in my family had seen it before me. I think that this movie is something that I need to see again to fully appreciate it. I will know what to look for. Regardless if it was a Disney movie, I still cried. Ha, it shouldn't be a surprise, but I did.
I finished reading the Book of Mormon! Last night! I am so excited about this because I think it was the first time that I can remember reading it all the way through, all by myself. It made me incredibly happy and I feel complete. :)
And I proved that I can accomplish a goal!
I tried to stay away from Facebook. That didn't work to well. I even had Denay change the password. I will try again, this time for real. Usually when I have school, I can concentrate on necessary things, but I am here at home and usually I have nothing to occupy my time with. Hence checking Facebook too often. I am excited for school to start. New classes and this time I am going to start my secondary education classes. I am nervous to be a teacher in a year. Teaching is such a huge responsibility! My mom had me come visit her school and sit in on some history classes. Mount Ogden is a inner city school. Maybe not all schools are like that, but there are enough students that don't want to go to history classes. I am nervous. I want to change students lives, and makes them socially responsible people who want to do good in the world too. But at the same time, I can't do everything. At some level, parents have to educate their children too.
Tonight I am going to a mocktail/moustache new years eve party, 1940's style. Pictures forthcoming.
And I am going to dye my hair again. Again, pictures forthcoming.
Gah, my sister is watching Jurassic Park and the raptors are about to make their entrance and I am getting antsy. So intense.
I can't watch a movie there without leaving the room in tears. I cried through the last 15 min of the movie, walked home in a state of shock, then got home to tell Shannon the whole affair and cried AGAIN!
This was a very sad affair. These native people of Norway, they didn't want to pay alcohol debts but this evil, greedy store clerk got the church and the government involved and then these innocent men were arrested without charge. And they needed to help their wives get the reindeer in and it was so unfair! And then two of the men were executed, beheaded, and this little boy saw the whole thing and it was so so so so sad.
It is a silly wish of mine every weekend that it will be opposite of my weekdays. But they are always as busy as everyday anyway. I'm not complaining. I love having my days filled with friends, family and acquaintences. I love people.
It is my biggest dream, when I grow up, to have this cute little house, and have it be warm and delicious smelling inside and having it stuffed to the brim with people. I want the kind of house that people can just run into, no need to knock, with kids (mine or neighborhood kids) who call me mom and I will always have something delicious to eat to offer to people.
Woah. Sorry to get lost on that sidenote. My weekend. So my roommate from freshman year turned 21! And to celebrate, we had afternoon tea at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. It was so fancy! And it was so good to visit with Ali and celebrate this milestone in her life with her. There was a handful of girls, mostly from her high school, but they were such neat girls, like it just reaffirmed the fact that if you are already friends with someone, the chances that you will like their friends is pretty good. So good afternoon. AND!!! It was hightened by the fact that I found this AMAZING dress for the party! I took Shannon shopping with me on Friday, but we couldn't find anything. Stupid mall. I tend to have a very specific image in my mind of what I want to look like. So most of the time, I don't find anything at all. I wish it was easier to make clothes. I would be so stylish. Hah! If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.
Anyways, Friday was fun but I still need a dress so Saturday morning, I went out on my own to a couple of places. And I found a dress that was perfect. So stylish, so flattering. And only fifteen bucks! I is a smart shopper. Mah! So I hurried and got some groceries and ink! (very important) So I dashed home, got ready in just enough time to fly (as in drive really fast) up to SLC and made it just in time for the party. Had a really fun time (so fancy) and then came back down to Provo to find everyone gone to Adult Session of Stake Conference. Oops. So I made banana bread and watched "Smokey and the Bandit" (burt reynolds...so funny) I will have to tell you about that later. (Only 5 bucks!) And then Debra called! Game night! So after the movie, I dashed over there and had a blast, chatting it up with really cool people. And we played Cranium. Me and Debra talked smak. *shrug* It's what we do. ;) Neither of our teams won. Ha! Then I came back home and went to sleep. Good day. Busy, but good.
I think life is never going to slow down. Ever. So I guess I will just have to get used to flying so fast.
So, me being me, I dislike Halloween intensely. You would think that dressing up and exaggerated makeup would be right up my alley right? Well, yes, until I got about twelve. Then Halloween stopped being about being creative and started being scary. I don't DO scary. Trust me. If you haven't had the opportunity to watch a movie with me, then you wouldn't understand. I get very into my movies. So scary movies scare me right out of my pants. So this year, to avoid all of that mess that comes with grown up Halloween, I escaped home to my parent's house and helped my little sister extract candy from nice neighbors. AND more importantly, I rented old movies. Like, my favorite pastime EVER! I got The Four Feathers(1977), Captain Horatio Hornblower....Gregory Peck is amazing!!!!!.... (1951), and Captain Blood...dang it, they don't make 'em how they used to!!!.... (1935). On our way back into town, me and Denay started making a list of actors, or characters or just awesome men in general who epitomize the essence of manhood. Here is what we got so far... (if you feel that we have missed someone essential, please comment. We want to celebrate as many awesome manly men as possible...)
Gregory Peck
also: Atticus Finch, Horatio Hornblower
Cary Grant
also: Dr. Praetorious
Errol Flynn
Humphrey Bogart
aka grumpy man, but a man nonetheless...
Laurence Olivier
Paul Newman
Yul Brenner
Steve McQueen
Rhett Butler
from Gone with the Wind
Mike Rowe
aka "Dirty Jobs" host
Henry Feversham
from "The Four Feathers" book
The Count of Monte Cristo
aka Jim Caviezel
Sean Connery
James Garner
Robert Redford
Dustin Hoffman
George Clooney
Fred Astaire
Tom Burlingson
aka The Man from Snowy River
Will Smith
Superman in the Gym (earlier blog post...)
Batman
Val Kilmer
Sully
aka the mountain man from "Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman"
Robin Williams
because of Jumanji, Bicenntenial Man, Genie, and Mork
Robert Downey Jr.
Nay says Patrick Swayze...but I disagreed...he goes on a maybe list.
There, there I can't think of anymore at this moment. Got any ideas? Let me know! :D
...now you'll see 'The Snow Queen', if you count a million more...
This is the Snow Queen, a story by Hans Christian Andersen and it was made into several different versions. This one I have showcased for you today is a 1957 Soviet Union version that my childhood is based on. I love this story. I couldn't tell you exactly why, but I do, I do, I do. So if you ever get the chance to see it, don't judge it too harshly. It is amazing in its own special way...
...so I totally could NOT wait for work to be done today because it was PAYDAY! yeeeeaaaah! And when I have money now, I do one thing, and one thing only. Well, it at least takes first priority...I go to F.Y.E (For Your Entertainment) on University Parkway in Orem and spend about twenty bucks. I am addicted, I must admit...and I shall blame Karina and Garrett on this one...Not that I mind terribly. I happen to love this addiction. I get movies I love for a great price AND I have found that FYE makes a brilliant escape when couples invade my living room. There I can go and be single in peace. All in all, its a beautiful thing... :)
