25 posts from February 2008

The Other Boleyn Girl makes Atonement look like a ginormous, rollicking comedy, and I'm only slightly exaggerating.

I've never hated a Natalie Portman character* before -- even in Closer, she was at least slightly sympathetic -- but I must say, when her head is separated from her body at the end, I wasn't all that sad. (And I'm sorry, but if that spoils you? CRACK OPEN A FRAKKING HISTORY BOOK.)

I wasn't that crazy about the movie. The acting was superb -- I think this might've been only the second time I've seen Scarlett Johansson in anything, the first being when she was just a kid in The Horse Whisperer. (A role she got only because Portman passed in order to play Anne Frank on Broadway. Interesting.) The scenery and cinematography were fantastic, the story interesting, etc., etc. I guess I just had an issue with English men whoring off their daughters for power, privilege, and position. And King Henry was a male slut.

Ironic how he was so hell-bent on having a male heir that he plowed through a succession of wives, only to have the female heir of the first wife he had put to death become one of the greatest monarchs England has ever known.

Who's plotted against by her half-sister, the daughter of Henry's first wife.

But that's another movie.

Starring Cate Blanchett.

* - edited for clarification

Heh. I love Hurley.

Anyway, if anyone wonders why I'm quoting an episode of LOST from three weeks ago, well, that's 'cause I didn't watch "The Economist" and "Eggtown" until tonight. I still haven't watched "The Constant." I'd planned to watch all three, but it's almost midnight, and my head's already swimming from all the awesomeness jam-packed in just these two.

Because of the late hour, I doubt I'll be able to wax eloquent in any way, shape, manner or form, so I think I'll go with the tried-and-true bullet point option.

LOST 4x3, "The Economist": So Sayid sold his soul after all.
    "The day I start trusting [Ben] is the day I sell my soul." -- Sayid Jarrah

• Sayid is an assassin-for-hire for none other than the nefarious Benjamin Linus. Consider my mind frakking blown, even though Cori tipped me off in the comments a couple weeks ago. I didn't know just what context the Sayid-Ben association was, and so I was still flabbergasted. Basically Flash-Forward Sayid goes around knocking off fat cats on Ben's Big List of Evilness. We're led to believe that these victims are some sort of threat to the rest of the Islanders. Related to that mysterious Minkowski, maybe? Who knows? Conspiracies are fun. (And no, I don't believe that Sayid worked with Ben before the crash and that 815 was brought down on purpose.)
• I hate Locke. I've never, ever liked him, but beginning last season, I started despising him, and now I full-blown hate him. Plus, I think he's been drinking a little too much of Jacob's Kool-Aid and the dude is rapidly decompensating.
• The look on Sayid's face upon discovering Ben's secret Jason Bourne vault full of suits, passports, and money was awesome. By the way, the name on the passport with Ben's picture? Dean Moriarty -- both a character in Jack Kerouac's On the Road and Sherlock Holmes' nemesis.
• The Oceanic 6 update: Kate, Jack, Hurley, and Sayid.
• Daniel Faraday vs. Biblical Daniel: Yes, I'm obsessed devoted enough to look up stuff like this. After almost four years of witnessing Damon and Carlton's brilliant subtlety, I believe there is rarely any coincidence, especially in names and numbers. So. The numbers on Daniel's clocks and his name equal Daniel 2:45 and Daniel 3:16. Seemed like Biblical references to me, so out came my Bible. 3:16 refers to the story of Biblical Daniel's three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and how they were thrown in the fiery furnace after refusing to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar's graven image. They were divinely spared. 2:45 refers to Daniel being exalted by the King after interpreting a dream in which Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom is divided. (Hmmm...Locke vs. Jack vs. Ben, anyone?) Anyway, pretty cool stuff.
• Time discrepancies: Thanks to Daniel's payload-beacon experiment with the disembodied Regina (the R.C. on Naomi's bracelet, perhaps?), we -- and a freaked-out Daniel -- learn that apparently the Island Time is 31 minutes slower than that on the freighter.

LOST 4x4, "Eggtown": I frakking KNEW IT!
    "What I said in court -- I didn't mean it." -- Jack Shephard

• So. Upon watching the Season 3 finale, when Flash-Forward Kate tells Flash-Forward Jack that she has to get back, that "he's" expecting her, I think most people assumed it was Sawyer. I immediately thought, "what if it's her child?" I don't know that it was based on anything other than the fact I dislike Sawyer and want Kate with Jack, but still. I WAS RIGHT. I knew it.
• Um, however, I did NOT know that she's now Aaron's mom. What happened to Claire?
• Why doesn't Jack want to see Aaron? Does he know that Aaron's his nephew? Does it have something to do with whatever happened to Claire?
• Oceanic 6 update: Still just Jack, Kate, Sayid, and Hurley. Two left, since Aaron is NOT one of them. Which makes me wonder why -- and how -- Kate has him even more.
  
• From the looks of Aaron, who's rather large and can speak clearly, it seems as though the flash-forwards are roughly three, maybe four, years into the future.
• I love Kate-centric episodes. We see that Kate is re-arrested when she re-enters society and put on trial for first degree murder, arson, grand larceny, fraud, and grand theft auto. She is remanded to federal custody based on her flight risk, and if convicted, she could face life plus 80 years in prison. It is revealed that her dying mother is the prosecution's star witness.
• Jack -- looking all clean-shaven and hotter than normal -- testifies for the defense, and tells a ginormous lie about Flight 815's crash. I know he's lying and all, but it's still interesting that he states there were eight survivors. That's two less than the Oceanic 6. I wonder if that bears any relevance. I also wonder if the reason Jack has told the story so many times is merely for Kate's benefit, or if that's a decision they made together.
• Kate's mom opts not to testify after all, and Kate makes a deal with the DA for time served and 10 years of probation, provided she doesn't leave the state. That, at least partially, explains her adamant refusal to entertain Bearded, Drunk Jack's insistence that they return to the Island.
• Let me reiterate: I LOATHE JOHN LOCKE.
• What's the significance in the memory experiment Charlotte was conducting with Daniel? And what is the "work" she has to do, which was her stated reason for staying behind rather than accompanying Frank back to the freighter?
  
• Miles tries to extort Ben for $3.2 million.
• Crazy Locke shoves a live grenade in Miles' mouth and also banishes Kate for her role in helping Miles get an audience with Ben, who's locked in the basement under his, now John's, house.
• Miles reminds me of Jon from Jon and Kate + 8, just with black eyes.
• Have I mentioned lately that I love Jack and Kate together? They ooze sexual tension and chemistry and I love the way they look at each other. Seriously? Sawyer is such a place-holder.
• Frank's helicopter, carrying Desmond, Sayid, Frank, and Naomi's body has apparently vanished. Of course, this could be a lie on Regina's part, but she gave no indication she knew that Jack and Juliet were listening, so I assume she was being honest when she said that the 'copter hadn't arrived. Does this have anything to do with Daniel's strong caution that Frank fly according to the exact same bearings they used on their way to the Island?

I am loving this season. In fact, this might just be my favorite season, although I really, really loved last season as well. I'm planning to catch up on tonight's episode this weekend. I think my sister and I are going to see The Other Boleyn Girl tomorrow night.

Anywho, feel free to share thoughts on these past couple episodes, but please remember I haven't seen tonight's and really don't want to be spoiled. Respond accordingly!

In closing, (deep breath) I HATE JOHN LOCKE.

There. I feel better now.

Yep, you read right.

Early voting is taking place in advance of the primaries next week, and in Texas, Republicans can vote in the Democratic primaries. Since John McCain already has the win sewn up here, I figured I'd make things more difficult for B. Hussein Obama and vote for Hillary. The longer she (and Ralph Nader) stay in, the better.

Lots of Republicans are following suit.

It was fun, even if my voting record -- straight-ticket Republican since 1994 -- is now tarnished.

I've loved to read ever since my aunt bought me the Little House on the Prairie book set when I was four and I determined that I wanted to read them myself rather than having them read to me. My grandmother still brags that I was reading such "hard" books at such a young age, although I tell her that reading at four is apparently no big deal.

I brought home box loads of books every two weeks on our regular library visits and could be found more often than not curled up on my bed with a pile of books on the bedside table. Sometimes my mom had to drag me out of my room for important things like meals. And baths.

My love for reading hasn't waned, but I have to say that since I've joined Vox, and especially in recent weeks, I've become more and more eager to read again. I've discovered books I probably wouldn't have otherwise read, since I'm not all that adventurous -- I prefer to read the same authors and rarely venture into the world of the Oprah Book Club, for example.

Anyway, I've just finished adding two of my actual bookshelves to my Shelfari shelves and I'm hoping to be done by the end of the week. (Now that I'm not moving till the end of March -- long, annoying story involving incompetence on the part of my apartment complex -- I don't have to pack for a while. Yay.) I will probably never be able to add every book I've ever read, but I at least want to add all of the books I currently own and then go from there.

I'm going to try to add at least a one- or two-sentence review to each as well. I can't promise I'll be successful, but I definitely want to add reviews for those I consider my favorites.

I like Erin's practice of tagging the books she's read this year so that she can keep track. I'll probably do that as well, but I plan on still keeping track on Vox, too.

Speaking of books, I need some recommendations, especially from you moms out there: Kevin and Mia are 11 and in the fifth grade. Kevin loves to read. He's currently ensconced in the Cirque du Freak series. I know nothing about it, but it seems to be age-appropriate, and as long as he's reading...but Mia doesn't like to read. I suspect that she has ADD, and her mother is going to get her tested, but in the mean time, I've been trying to come up with a list of books that she'd like to hopefully suck her into the joy of reading.

I have a large collection of children's books, but I'm not quite as aware of the more current selections. What would an 11-year-old girl straddling the world of the tomboy and the world of the burgeoning girly-girl be interested in?

Any recommendations would be most appreciated!

So Erin convinced me to join Shelfari. It's actually pretty cool. I know I technically joined some other similar site that keeps tracks of books read, owned, etc., but I think I logged in once or twice and then kind of forgot about it. I really like the aesthetics of Shelfari, though, and so far I'm enjoying populating my owned/reading/read/favorites shelves.

I also like the option of asking other members for recommendations and all that fun stuff.

Go join because I only have one Shelfari friend and I'm lonely. :)

Jen's Shelfari.

If I sit down and really force myself to read, rather than just using breakfast and lunch breaks and other stolen moments here and there, I'll be done with Atonement by Wednesday. I went to the library today (I'm trying to be economical right now -- usually I just buy my books) and picked up a few, including my next: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.

I've been tempted to read this for a while now, but the subject matter seemed so dauntingly haunting. The reviews I've read, however, suggest that maybe I've waited long enough. Plus I just discovered that Peter Jackson is directing the movie, due out in 2009, and Saoirse Ronan, fresh from her Oscar-nominated role in Atonement, is playing another tragic young protagonist in Susie Salmon.

This time around, I think I'll read the book first.

And after I'm done with The Lovely Bones, maybe I'll try something light and fun. Sophie Kinsella's new book is due out any week now and should be a perfect counterbalance.

I can't remember the last time I posted three times in something like 12 hours. I suppose I'm in a blogging mood. Maybe I'm making up for the three weeks wherein I basically checked myself out of the living world. Who knows.

Anyway. There are some movies and books that I love dearly, but once I'm done with them, they go back on their shelves and stay there until the next time I get a whim to watch/read.

Then there is Atonement. I really had no clue it would impact me as much as it has when I first saw the trailer. In fact, the trailer that aired -- the one of Robbie and Cecilia and the whispered "I'll come back to you"s -- was fairly misleading. The protagonist is actually a lonely little wisp of a girl who is more at home hidden in the depths of her imagination than in the real world.

From the opening clatter of the typewriter till the screen had faded to black amidst the final strains of Dario Marianelli's haunting, Oscar-winning score, I was spellbound.

I'm reading the book. I've been reading it since just after I saw the movie, and I still haven't finished. It's hard to read because I know what happens. I usually prefer reading the book first, but in this respect, seeing the movie first hasn't had a negative effect on my opinion of Ian McEwan's novel. Instead of being shocked by the dips and turns of the plot, I find that I'm reading with a tragic sort of dramatic irony, and it's actually been quite satisfying. It's that well-written.

I had uploaded this video a while back but didn't incorporate it into a post because it's rather spoiler-y. But I've decided to include it now because it is so fantastic that I can't help myself. I enjoy watching it because it brings the experience of the movie back all over again.

Atonement may not have won Best Picture, but it is still outstanding, and it is one of the best movies I've ever seen.

This was the phrase most frequently uttered tonight, in varying states of desperation.

That's right, I found a reason not to pack tonight, even though I'm moving in four days. Kevin called and wanted me to come play video games and have dinner, so of course I was there.

First we played Guitar Hero II. OMG. I am so addicted. It was the first time I've ever played, and I did really well. I stayed in the 90% range and I think my highest consecutive note tally was 92. Granted, we stayed on the Easy level, but still. Kevin was impressed, and usually he just laughs at my lack of coordination where those frakking controllers  (and in this case, a guitar) are concerned. He said I would have an easier time of it since I could play the piano, and he was kind of right -- I found that it helped me get the timing down a lot more quickly than I probably otherwise would have.

After a few rounds of GH, he popped in Halo 3. Oh good LORD I am so, so, so insanely bad. So bad. I have never been great at those first-person shooter games at all. I just don't have the coordination to control the movement joystick and the "looking" joystick. Consequentially, I usually end up walking around in circles, or staring at my feet or up in the sky as I run into walls.

We hung out at the practice level for a while (in which I ran into numerous walls, accidentally blew myself up with a spike-launching grenade, and got splattered by Kevin in some random armored vehicle) and then moved into the co-op missions.

Can I just say that my nephew deserves a medal? I have never seen a more patient kid. Because take one look at the post title -- that was me. I was supposed to be following him, but I kept getting lost. If you're not familiar with the game, it's got a split screen, and I couldn't figure out where I was on my screen, and I couldn't even find me on his screen.

We chose the mission where we have to pass through several checkpoints and go down this long highway while battling alien combatants in various scary flying machines with various scary weapons, and Kevin's driving this jeep and instead of hitting the button to shoot, I kept hitting the button that made me jump out of the jeep, and so Kevin would have to circle back and rescue me. Multiple times. I couldn't figure out how to cross this narrow bridge and kept landing on my face in a gully. I could barely climb a ladder.

Once we'd wandered into the middle of this firefight (because Kevin had to come back for me again), he says, only slightly exasperated, "Jenny, you go stand in that tunnel and don't move. Don't do anything. I'll come back and get you when I've killed all these guys."

Talk about humiliating.

He hijacked an enemy armored vehicle and I managed to get myself into the turret, where I had unlimited ammo. I just had to learn how to move my line of sight so that the target on the screen would lock onto the enemy soldiers. I think I managed to kill three and shoot down one flying drone-type thing, and Kevin was so excited, you would've thought I beat the game.

Such a great kid. He told me I'd have to come back on a Saturday, when he'd have plenty of time to "teach" me.

Hi. My name is Jen, and I got royally schooled by an 11-year-old.

...why I loathe the Academy Awards.

Who told Jon Stewart he was funny? Cynical and ironic is not funny, and it does not make for a good host. Billy Crystal? Hilarious. Best host ever. Even Ellen Degeneres was refreshing and fun last year. But Stewart wasn't funny the first time he hosted; I'm not quite sure why they invited him back.

Thankfully I managed to condense the whole awards show into about 15 minutes. I stopped to see the Juno, Ellen Page, Atonement and Saoirse Ronan clips and their respective awards, and watched Diablo Cody's acceptance speech and the musical performances from August Rush and Once. (Dude, I love that "Falling Slowly" song so much.) I zipped through most of Stewart's "funny" stuff. Seriously, I have never heard so many crickets chirping.

The final straw was when they exploited our brave men and women in the United States Armed Forces to introduce the documentaries, which were full of anti-American, anti-military, unpatriotic rubbish.

I would've paid so much money if one of those soldiers had turned Stewart's brand of "funny" against him and thanked Hollywood (tongue-in-cheek of course) for loving and supporting our troops and for all the times they'd visited and participated in USO tours, etc.

The exploitation turned my stomach and I deleted the rest of the show.

I don't really care about them one way or the other. I've watched them for the past five years, because when I worked at the newspaper, I worked every weekend and we had an Oscar pool that was fairly entertaining. So I kind of had to watch them.

This is the first year I'll be home and I plan on doing other stuff. (Namely I have a lot of packing to do, because genius that I am, I decided to wait to start packing six days before I move.)

I like to watch the red carpet stuff and usually the opening number, but that's about it, unless an actor/actress/movie that I like is nominated and/or sure to win. For the most part, I think the movies nominated are pretentious and depressing and dull, but there have been some obvious exceptions: the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Titanic, Crash, Little Miss Sunshine, etc. (I also can't stand the majority of the "I'd like to thank the Academy" crap, especially since politics don't belong in movie acceptance speeches.)

I probably wouldn't watch this year's awards at all except for the fact that I absolutely loved Juno and Atonement, and though I guess neither will win, hey, nobody thought Crash or Little Miss Sunshine would win, either. Also, I think Saoirse Ronan is one of the most adorable, most talented kids I've seen since Natalie Portman was 13, and though she's also probably a long shot for Best Supporting Actress, it would be fantastic if she won.

I'll probably TiVo them and watch mostly on fast-forward.