Sunday, February 15, 2009

Coraline - See This Movie!


Okay so there is one very odd, gross, and overall disturbing part in this movie which consists of a scantily clad (we're talking sequin-star covered nipples and a thong), big bosomed old lady repeatedly jumping up and down on a diving board -which goes on way too long - but putting that aside, this movie was awesome. I saw it in true 3-d (or whatever it's called) and it was an incredible visual feast from start to finish. I wanted it to keep going when it ended - and there are not a lot of movies I can say that about! I love gothic "film-scapes" (don't know if "film-scapes" is a legitimate phrase - "cinematography" is proabably a more correct word) and slightly dark, twisted stories, and this movie definately delivered both. It's definately not a true "kids" movie as it has some scary scenes and the aforementioned incident with the old lady, so don't count it out if that is the reason you are hesitating to see "Coraline."

Some kids may be scared by this movie (I felt apprehension at times I must admit). It reminds me of a movie I partially saw when I was a kid called "Witches," which scared the living daylights out of me - I was about 4 when I saw it. The part where the witches reveal their true faces caused me to have nightmares for weeks. I remember sleeping in my parents room for at least the weekend. The reason I share this with you is to express my opinion that this is not a movie neccesarily for children and I definitely do not think any kid under 10 should go and see it.

For any animation buff, this movie is a must. I cannot express to you the beauty of the movements and colors in this movie - it flat out blew my mind. I read that they actually created everything you see in this movie out of clay (in minature of course) and painstakingly filmed each scene with physical movement of the clay figures. I could go on forever, but the overall point is that this movie is incredible and I want you to see it!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

...in hopes that this is not becoming a common blogger theme for me...


You see every marked area on the adjacent picture? Well I have spent the last eight bed-ridden days experiencing excruciating and disorienting pain in all of those sinus areas. It all started with my trip to Atlanta last weekend to see my sister and brother and, of course, the killers. Lack of sleep and cold weather aided me in picking up some nasty bug that eventually sent me to the ER at 4:00 Thursday morning. I haven't worked since last monday and today is, honestly, the first day I have been able to get out of bed for more that 5 min without throwing up. The sinus pressure has completely disoriented me and incapacitated me. Luckily, I have good insurance and the ER cost me nothing (as well as all the wonderful pain meds they pumped me full of). In about 2 hrs I am going to the ENT specialist. Hopefully he can make sense of the insanity that has been the last week. Following are some pro's and con's of my ailment.

Pros:
- Had the chance to revaluate my life and really appreciate the suffering of others
- Will definately be able to better emphathize with Chrisitina when ever she gets "morning sickness" - (she is not currently pregnant though)
- Watched a lot of stupid movies that made me appreciate the fact that I have a job that takes me places everyday. In other words, if I was homebound for a living I would go nuts.
- Couldn't eat for 5 of the 8 days so far - lost 5 pounds w/o even trying

Cons:
- Worst week of my life
- ERs suck
- laying on your back for 8 days is boring & depressing
- my lower back screams in revolt now everytime I bend over
- I still can't move around much without feeling disoriented and motion sick
- It is getting harder and harder to imagine life as a non-sick person. I am constantly looking at people on TV and wondering "I wonder how it feels for them to move around like that." "Does everybody feel that great and normal? What is it like?" - - - - - Pathetic isn't is?

The Killers in Atlanta


Two weekends ago I had the chance to go to see the Killers live in Atlanta. I wasn't sure what to expect as I had only seen youtube videos of the killers live, and they were really not that great. However, without being able to adequately put it into words, they put on one killer show. Not only was their sound and delivery absolutely incredible, their light show and stage presence made me want to be a rock star. They played some awesome variations of their hit songs (I particularly liked the more acoustic sounding version of "Sam's Town" which is found on their B-sides and rarities album "Sawdust").

I walked away from this show in a trance. All I wanted to do was go home and try to write music that would have the same effect on others as the Killers music did on me. It makes me depressed that I can't write music that good. I would honestly sell my soul for that kind of talent (ok, so maybe not that extreme, but you get my point).

If you have not given the killers a chance, please listen to my plea and go buy their first album "Hot Fuss," it will change your music-loving life.