my words have been failing me again,
thoughts altered by an awful disease of the tongue.
what a useless organ.
thoughts altered by an awful disease of the tongue.
what a useless organ.
Wednesday, October 7
Wednesday, September 23
Dare I Say I'm Actually....Excited? For New Moon?!
Oddly enough, the answer is yes (!)
Although, I think that the soundtrack may have a thing or two to do with it:
1. Death Cab For Cutie – Meet Me On The Equinox
Although, I think that the soundtrack may have a thing or two to do with it:
1. Death Cab For Cutie – Meet Me On The Equinox
2. Band Of Skulls – Friends
3. Thom Yorke- Hearing Damage
4. Lykke Li – Possibility
5. The Killers - A White Demon Love Song
6. Anya Marina – Satellite Heart
7. Muse - I Belong To You (New Moon Remix)
8. Bon Iver and St. Vincent – Rosyln
9. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Done All Wrong
10. Hurricane Bells – Monsters
11. Sea Wolf – The Violet Hour
12. Ok Go- Shooting The Moon
13. Grizzly Bear (with Beach House’s Victoria Legrand) - Slow Life
14. Editors – No Sound But The Wind
15. Alexandre Desplat – New Moon (The Meadow)
Death Cab, Lykke Li, Anya Marina, AND Grizzly Bear all on the same album?? AND a Bon Iver and St. Vincent collaboration! Trying to appeal to a more mature audience, Chris Weitz? Well, I think it's working (see Nylon blogs). Now, if we could only get rid of that pesky Kristen Stewart.....
Sunday, September 20
Recovery
my body has betrayed me,
literally twisted in on itself,
and forced me to sit
still and
quiet.
stiff backed and weary eyed
i am commanded to think,
to catch up.
i'm am overwhelmed at what i find
deep at the pocket-bottom of my brain:
a pair of bright green eyes that i took for granted
and my own misguided superiority;
this song that will be my secret on repeat
and my love of the written word.
i want to be well again.
literally twisted in on itself,
and forced me to sit
still and
quiet.
stiff backed and weary eyed
i am commanded to think,
to catch up.
i'm am overwhelmed at what i find
deep at the pocket-bottom of my brain:
a pair of bright green eyes that i took for granted
and my own misguided superiority;
this song that will be my secret on repeat
and my love of the written word.
i want to be well again.
Thursday, July 30
A Trip to the Zoo
As I walked from the Ape Exhibit to the Bird House, the pencil in my hand mindlessly recording all of the animals that lay behind lock and key, it occurred to me that the truly wild beasts- the ones I ought to have been sketching- walked all around me, nursing the straws that hung limply out of their plastic novelty Zoo cups.
Saturday, July 18
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Review
Upon leaving the theater at 5:20 PM yesterday, after viewing "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" for the second time since it's opening on Wednesday the 15th, I felt significantly at peace with the events that played out on the big screen. Overall, the film was a decent adaptation of the sixth book of the epic Harry Potter series, with a few irksome changes in plot and detail.
The cinematography of the film was by far the most advanced and creative of all the movies to date; I have no doubt that it will continue to impress in the next two movies to come.
The combination of the atmospheric lighting, interesting composition, and extensively developed soundtrack brought about a swelling of emotions that I hadn't really experienced in any of the previous movies. This was especially true about the opening scene (where Harry and Dumbledore are bombarded by journalists after Sirius' death and Voldemort's return at the Ministry), the scene following Lavender and Ron's union (where the camera pans out and, from the outside looking in, the audience can see Hermione crying on Harry's shoulder, Ron and Lavender embracing in the next corridor, and Malfoy brooding at the top of the astronomy tower), and the scene where Snape mends Malfoy on the bathroom floor (after Harry so hastily shoots the harmful "Sectumsempra" curse at him over leaky bathroom sinks).
As always, Michael Gambon was severely disappointing as Dumbledore, bringing an unnecessary air of abruptness and distinguished cockiness to the usually humble character. Regardless, I thought the change in Dumbledore's attitude toward Harry was intriguing: In the movie, he was not nearly as mysterious as he was in the book, clearly and directly telling Harry what he wanted him to do (especially regarding Slughorn and his memory.)
Emma Watson was- as usual- a wonderful Hermione, and Rupert Grint brought a lot more depth to Ron than ever before; Daniel Radcliffe, however, failed to develop the right amount of tasteful angsty-ness that Harry called for, resulting in a very light-hearted treatment of things that should have been reacted to in a more serious manner. At certain points this was humorous, such as when he downed his special "liquid luck" potion and then immediately began acting as if he had taken a large dose of uppers. Mostly, however, it was just irritating.
The Harry-Ginny relationship was very well developed up until their kiss in the Room of Requirement- which, I'd like to note, didn't even happen in the novel.
I would like to applaud both Helen McCrory and Helena Bonham Carter- who played Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix LeStrange, respectively -on their brilliant performances and noticable chemistry on camera. Additionally, Alan Rickman did a fantastic job in portraying the contempt between his character, Snape, and Harry, but was disappointingly calm when the two characters finally got the chance to face off (the "Fight back, you coward!" scene).
Content-wise, there were a few details from the book that I would have liked see corrected or included in the movie. For example, I would have liked to see a lot more emphasis on the memories that Dumbledore collected. However, upon reflection, the inclusion of the more complicated details from the book probably would have confused and overwhelmed the population of viewers that are not acutely familiar with the story.
There were also things were added on a whim of inappropriate creative license that I thought were weird and misplaced. For example, Slughorn's heart-wrenching tale of Francis the fish in corolation to Lily Evans' untimely death was much too corny and symbolic. However, I did enjoy the slightly cheesy, made-up Hogwart's tribute to the fallen Dumbledore that ultimately cleared away the ominous Dark Mark hanging in the sky.
The biggest element that continues to bother me is the abrupt and casual ending, which was weak and awkward, and not nearly as serious and focused as it ought to have been. It made me feel a little cheated as I stared up at the credits from my creaky theater seat, asking "Really? That's it?" Above all, however, the film did a reasonably good job in capturing the turbulent times that the story took place in.
Those that remain absolutely faithful to the books should be advised that "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is not the expected response to the phenomenal story that J.K. Rowling penned. However, if you clear away any pre-conceived notions and assumptions before heading to the theater, you will most likely have an exceptionally enjoyable experience. After initial disappointment, and a subsequent second trip to the theater (in which I tried to stay as impassive in my expectations as possible), I can honestly say that I cannot wait to watch the next film in the series.
The cinematography of the film was by far the most advanced and creative of all the movies to date; I have no doubt that it will continue to impress in the next two movies to come.
The combination of the atmospheric lighting, interesting composition, and extensively developed soundtrack brought about a swelling of emotions that I hadn't really experienced in any of the previous movies. This was especially true about the opening scene (where Harry and Dumbledore are bombarded by journalists after Sirius' death and Voldemort's return at the Ministry), the scene following Lavender and Ron's union (where the camera pans out and, from the outside looking in, the audience can see Hermione crying on Harry's shoulder, Ron and Lavender embracing in the next corridor, and Malfoy brooding at the top of the astronomy tower), and the scene where Snape mends Malfoy on the bathroom floor (after Harry so hastily shoots the harmful "Sectumsempra" curse at him over leaky bathroom sinks).
As always, Michael Gambon was severely disappointing as Dumbledore, bringing an unnecessary air of abruptness and distinguished cockiness to the usually humble character. Regardless, I thought the change in Dumbledore's attitude toward Harry was intriguing: In the movie, he was not nearly as mysterious as he was in the book, clearly and directly telling Harry what he wanted him to do (especially regarding Slughorn and his memory.)
Emma Watson was- as usual- a wonderful Hermione, and Rupert Grint brought a lot more depth to Ron than ever before; Daniel Radcliffe, however, failed to develop the right amount of tasteful angsty-ness that Harry called for, resulting in a very light-hearted treatment of things that should have been reacted to in a more serious manner. At certain points this was humorous, such as when he downed his special "liquid luck" potion and then immediately began acting as if he had taken a large dose of uppers. Mostly, however, it was just irritating.
The Harry-Ginny relationship was very well developed up until their kiss in the Room of Requirement- which, I'd like to note, didn't even happen in the novel.
I would like to applaud both Helen McCrory and Helena Bonham Carter- who played Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix LeStrange, respectively -on their brilliant performances and noticable chemistry on camera. Additionally, Alan Rickman did a fantastic job in portraying the contempt between his character, Snape, and Harry, but was disappointingly calm when the two characters finally got the chance to face off (the "Fight back, you coward!" scene).
Content-wise, there were a few details from the book that I would have liked see corrected or included in the movie. For example, I would have liked to see a lot more emphasis on the memories that Dumbledore collected. However, upon reflection, the inclusion of the more complicated details from the book probably would have confused and overwhelmed the population of viewers that are not acutely familiar with the story.
There were also things were added on a whim of inappropriate creative license that I thought were weird and misplaced. For example, Slughorn's heart-wrenching tale of Francis the fish in corolation to Lily Evans' untimely death was much too corny and symbolic. However, I did enjoy the slightly cheesy, made-up Hogwart's tribute to the fallen Dumbledore that ultimately cleared away the ominous Dark Mark hanging in the sky.
The biggest element that continues to bother me is the abrupt and casual ending, which was weak and awkward, and not nearly as serious and focused as it ought to have been. It made me feel a little cheated as I stared up at the credits from my creaky theater seat, asking "Really? That's it?" Above all, however, the film did a reasonably good job in capturing the turbulent times that the story took place in.
Those that remain absolutely faithful to the books should be advised that "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is not the expected response to the phenomenal story that J.K. Rowling penned. However, if you clear away any pre-conceived notions and assumptions before heading to the theater, you will most likely have an exceptionally enjoyable experience. After initial disappointment, and a subsequent second trip to the theater (in which I tried to stay as impassive in my expectations as possible), I can honestly say that I cannot wait to watch the next film in the series.
Wednesday, July 15
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
I have decided to reserve my judgements regarding the sixth Harry Potter film until I see it for the second time, under normal conditions of anticipation and excitement (i.e. NOT arriving 2 hours early to the theater, and proceeding to giggle and jiggle whilest I wait for the lights to dim). Until then, go see it for yourself!
Sunday, July 12
TrueBlood: Episode 4, Season 2
What we learned from tonight's episode:
- Sam Merlotte does not handle stress well. Additionally, he would do well to stop being so uptight. But he should probably stay away from mysterious new waitresses with painful-looking scars and scary knowledge of his canine tendencies. Methinks this will not end well.
- Maryanne is waaayyy more fucked up than we all thought!
- Jessica is not the angst-y teenager we all imagined in the beginning- she is a sweet, mischievous young vampire that brings necessary comic relief to the show.
- Jason Stackhouse IS AN IDIOT; no church camp can change him.
- Sookie is a funny drunk!
- What's going on with Tara and Eggs? Are they back together, or just under Maryanne's creepy sex spell?
- What does Eric have in store for Lafayette?
- Is Daphne working for Maryanne?
- Who the hell is Barry?!
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