Please ignore the ratty mess on top of my head today. I washed it for the first time and have to wait for Mike to get home to help me re-wax it.

Anyway, the other day we went to see Spike & Mike’s Sick and Twisted Animation Festival. One of my favorite one’s wasn’t on the program, I can’t remember the name. Where the stick figure man walks up to different girls and says, hi, or how are you, and they freak out and say I want my space, your smothering me, I just want to be friends, and proceed to cut him to pieces in different bloody manners. Then he walks up to the last girl and says, I have money, and she says I love you and they live happily ever after. Anyway, of course there was Happy Tree Friends which is my friend Matt’s favorite, but they don’t make me laugh like they used to. My favorite was The Boy Who Could Smell the Future which basically opens on one of those clone neighborhoods, the majority of the time is like an aerial view of the street with the lines of houses, then we go into one house and there’s a boy eating toast, and he says, I smell smoke, then BOOM their house goes up in a mushroom cloud, the end. My second favorite was Here Comes Dr. Tran. I have NO idea why.

The other night we got together with the black belts to go to dinner and see Kung Fu Hustle. I must say, it looked cheesy as hell and it was, but I laughed way more than I’d like to admit. Then of course some of it was a little on the stupid side. MMm, Stephen Chow is SO fine!! The end battle with the frog style was a little drawn out and didn’t hold my interest, but the actual ending was sweet.

The other night we watched Final Cut. It’s so weird to see Robin Williams being serious, but he really is a great actor, not just a silly person. Anyway, it kind of made you think, would you live your life differently if you knew someone would be looking at it all? It was pretty good, but it ended rather abrubtly, as though they ran out of time.

Mike has a thing for Japanese horror movies, so last night we rented Uzumaki. Umm, hmm. Ok, so it’s about this town that goes crazy and get I guess possessed in away with spirals. It starts out just a few people going a little looney, but then it escalates to full on exorcist looking stuff. No explanation, don’t know how the girl got out to tell the story, but that’s the way they make their movies I guess. And, yeah, that’s about all there is to say abou that.

The other night we rented Stage Beauty. It was absolutely delightful! It was funny and had such a fun sexuality. Claire Danes kicked ass and Billy Crudup was hot! As a non-actor I didn’t really get the art side of it, but that didn’t matter. The costumes were are little ill-fitting, ut that’s my only complaint. I recommend it for when you’re in the mood for not your average romp through period costumes and gender roles.

Last night we went to see Sin City. Now I don’t read comic books, so I know nothing of the graphic novel on which this movie was based. All I can say is, do NOT go to see this movie if you are PMSing. A worker at the theater said “Goodnight Ma’am” and I turned around and said “MA’AM?!!” and started towards him with a threatening gesure, then I noticed, he was “special”, and then I came back to my senses. He look absolutely terrified, and I have seriously never felt so bad in my entire life. Just the wrong movie coupled with the wrong surge of hormones, the poor guy, I could just die. Aside from my self esteem being torn assunder by impossibly perfect hookers, the movie was awesome. It was quite disturbing and gory, not usually things I would enjoy, but somehow they made it wonderfully entertaining. Each segment was so engrossing I kind of lost track of the last one. Once again, full of chivalry, just like I’ve been in the mood for. But back to the impossibly perfect hookers, I realize that they were in keeping with the comic book image. But my problem is not only what it does to the women looking at it, but what it does to the men and their expectations of real women. But today I’ve decided, as long as these pathetic comic book worshiping losers expect women to look like their ink fantasies they will forever be relegated to their parents’ basements jerking off to these characatures all alone, and I find comfort in that.

Last night Kyle brought over Meet the Feebles. I’m still just a little dazed. It reminded me much of the Muppet Show, um, only not. Sick and twisted for sure, hilarious, definitely, despite myself. I’m trying to think of my favorite part, and I keep coming back to the hippo on a machine gun rampage at the end.

Last night we went to see the movie Downfall. I”m hesitant to call it a great movie due to the content, but if it doesn’t get your mental wheels turning, you really need to wake up. It’s about the final days in Hitler’s bunker. It is full of chilling scenes, particularly when Magda Geobbels cooly calmly murders her children. She said “if the National Socialism dies, there is no future.” I have to look up national socialism and see what it’s all about, I have no clue. But most disturbing were the repeated attempts by high ranking officials to beg for the lives of the civilians, and how Hitler (or maybe it was someone else’s line, but the sentiment was repeated by several people), said that the people had given them a mandate, that they had chosen their fate, and they’d slit their own throats, and other comments of that nature. It gave me goosebumps to think of our own country in it’s current situation, and how we’ve taken our blood onto our own hands by re-electing Bush. Anyway, it was all very gruesome yet thought provoking, the way you’d probably expect, until the last line of the movie shot me between the eyes. They were talking to the real Traudl Junge (Hitler’s secretary who’s account was used to make the movie), she was saying how she didn’t know about the concentration camps and all that stuff. Then she tells a story about how she noticed a name on the memorial wall or whatever of a women her age who’d been executed the same year she’d gone to work for Hitler, and she says, (more or less, my memory sucks), “I realized being young is no excuse. You can still find things out.” But all it does is reinforce my helpless feeling, only it adds guilt on top of it. I can’t even get a list of the books I’ve checked out from the library.

Last night we went to see Robots. It was pretty cute, although it didn’t really get me laughing out loud too much, just some slight chuckling. I usually get more into Pixar and Dreamworks’ animal movies. I need there to be some hidden biting humor to get me really laughing. But it was mostly what you see is what you get. Which is fine, the movie was fine.

Last night we went to the movies to see an Animation Show. I just adore animated shorts, and these were all great for the most part. The first one may have been my favorite, Guard Dog by Bill Plympton. His cartoons always crack me up and this one was no exception. The way the dog bounced along, so happy to be on his walk was great. FEDS was ok, I’m not sure what I think about that Waking Life style animation, where you can tell it’s real people underneath it somehow. Pan With Us= had awesome animation, it was truly unique, but the Frost poem made it a little pretentious. Ward 13 rocked, it was kind of a claymation of this guy who got hit by a car and he’s stuck in this crazy hospital being chased by doctors who want to cut him all up, and of course it wouldn’t be complete without Cthulhu. Hello was one of my favorites, people with record players and boom boxes for heads. The tape player man likes the CD player head girl. I can just totally relate to when someone says hi, and I’m all fumbling around to find my hello sample. Rock Fish wasn’t really my thing. The Man with no Shadow, a French one, was really neat visually, just a little depressing. Each frame looked like a painting, reminded me of Rouault. Fallen Art= was great, although twisted. When the Day Breaks, I”m not sure what I thought of it. It was sad, but kind of made you think a little too, about how everything is connected, and funny in a weird way. The Meaning of Life was by far my favorite. I loved the music and the beauty of the star fields at the end. I loved the creature at the end, “Meaning of Life? HA!”

The other night we watched Impromptu which is the story of Chopin. Actually, it seemed to focus more on George Sand/Aurora. It was extraordinary of course, Chopin’s music is always the perfect cloud to carry me away. As always though, any “artist” movie has to have the anti-muse. Bernadette Petters was great and reminding me not to become her. The plot was a little like a soap opera in parts. I hate Hugh Grant but he was quite tolerable in this.

Last night we watched a DVD I’d bought for my dad on the Tibetan Book of the Dead. It was narrated by one of my favorite singers Leonard Cohen. While I think it is very important not to take the Bible literally, I also think these kinds of texts are the same way. They came off as being just a tad supersticious and I don’t like their dependence on a master transmit everything personally. There’s still a lot of great stuff, that everything is just a projection of our own minds. I think most of it is more for the benefit of the living, it makes them feel as though they can help their loved ones. The goal of all of it I guess is to liberate yourself from the cycle of endless suffering. But I like it, all of the suffering in my life is accompanied with so much happiness, I find it most worth it, and I love being in the realm of experience, good or bad. The scenery by the way was absolutely breathtaking.

Last night we watched Ong-Bok. It’s supposed to be released in the U.S. next month, but Mike ordered it from Thailand already so we could see it first, then criticize the Americanized ending. Anyway, we started watching it after 10:00 at night, so I fell asleep for the last fourth of it, so I couldn’t tell you much about the satisfaction of the ending, but the plot wasn’t much to blab about anyway. The martial arts however, were superb. Tony Jaa totally rocks and kicks some major bootay in this film. I can’t wait to see more of him in the future.

Last night we went to see House of Flying Daggers. We went with a bunch of our fellow black belts to get sushi before hand, then all went to the movie. I’m kind of torn. On one hand it was absolutely gorgeous, but not quite as amazing as Hero. I loved the story because I’m a sappy romantic and loved the Romeo and Julietness of it. For some reason though, I couldn’t help but stifle a little giggle afterwards, I’m not sure why. I am glad they didn’t fly. It had neat looking martial arts without bringing in the flying thing. I do have a MAJOR issue with the fact they were making the horses fall down with trip wires. Apparently there are no animal safety regulations for making movies in China. Anyway, it was great, and I liked the story better, but Hero was better overall. And the guy, mmmmmmm mmmm. =)

Well, I finally got all the exercise DVD’s I ordered, so here’s how they stack up. Before I talk about them individually, my one complaint about all of them, and every workout video I’ve ever done is insufficient stretching before and after. I do these first thing in the morning, and I wake up every day with a lot of pain and stiffness, and hobble around like a zombie for the first hour in the morning. I need to start stretching for like a half hour before I can even begin any of these workouts.

Yoga for Martial Arts – It was ok, but it was the very same simple hatha yoga poses I do at my other weekly yoga class. Which I like, but I was looking for programs that could offer me something different from my regular routine. Anyway, what I mean is, it was a decent yoga video, but I didn’t see what was “for martial arts” about it. It was the same as any yoga video, only maybe even a little simpler and easier.

Mantra Girl Presents and Introduction to Kundalini Yoga and Chanting – I LOVE the music on this one. I have never done anything like this type of yoga before and it is very challenging. What I like most is how it keeps moving the whole time. Sometimes I fall asleep doing hatha yoga. (It’s not that it’s boring, I am just really sleep deprived and my body steels any moment of stillness for a snooze.) I am a little too self-conscious to do the chanting, but it’s gorgeous. The only thing I can’t and am not all that willing to make myself do is the breath of fire. It’s this fast sniffing, and I can only do it for a few breaths before I feel like I’m not getting enough air and my nervous system takes over and makes me stop. I’m not convinced enough of the benefits to push myself further on that. But otherwise, I thought I might master the movements fairly quickly, so I bought her Advanced Kundalini Yoga for the Spiritual Warrior. It is VERY difficult. I am pretty darn fit and I could do less than half of it. I love it because it moves the body in COMPLETELY different ways from all the other video workouts I have ever done. This is probably why I can’t do it. When I can work up to doing most of this, my body should be pretty hard core. Although, she says it’s not strength and muscles that should get you through, it’s the breath and meditation, but never explains really what that means. And she never really connects it with spirituality, at least in a way that I can get into anyway.

Yoga Dance Fire, Earth, and Water – These are SO much fun and really fit the bill for what I was looking for (something out of the ordinary). She combines dance and music from all over the world. I like her personality and the dances are wonderfully sensual. The only thing is I have to do it when Mike won’t be around because I am as white and repressed as they come and express myself with my body about as well as Eva Braun. What I’m hoping to gain from these dances is the ability to feel a little sexier and free myself up a bit and feel more at home in my body. I’m not sure though why it’s called “yoga” dance. It’s joyous and fantastic world dance, but I didn’t find anything yoga about it.

Special Ops Fitness Navy Seal Workout – I don’t really have any complaints about this workout except that I didn’t need a DVD to do all the stuff. It’s the same push-ups, dips, mountain climbers, and crunches I do at the gym day after day. They do a lot of reps and if you keep up with the advanced guy, it’s definitely challenging. I didn’t keep it though because I already do that stuff every morning at the gym, then again every evening at cardio kickboxing. The setting was gorgeous, some national park that he said but I forget the name. They’re on the edge of this huge canyon or something. They used no mats, just got down on the dirty rocky ground for their stretches, and there was no motivating music, just the guy counting. This made it seem real rugged like I suppose the real navy seals do, except from what I’ve heard their real workout is superdy duper more hardcore than anything else.

Classical Pilates Techniques The Complete Mat Workout Series – This one is great because it has the modified basic, basic, intermediate, advanced, and super advanced all on one video. I’ve only started with the modified basic, although I probably could have done the basic. But it looks like it quickly increases in intensity from intermediate. I am a little behind the times and I’d never done pilates before. It promises to be so much more effective than crunches. After one week of only doing the five minute modified basic, I can do the lemon squeezers in kickboxing which I have never been able to do before. I will probably wind up doing this every day, because if I can strengthen my core, I can do all my other stuff more effectively, and most importantly may even improve my tae kwon do training.

I downloaded and watched the BBC’s The Power of Nightmares three part special. I STRONGLY urge you to check this out. The information is superb and very thorough. I learned SO much. Jeez American media really dropped the ball on this. Anyway, it tracks the rise of each school of thought, the neo-cons and the Islamists and how the groups came to be and how the war came to be and about how the right has perpetuated a culture of fear for decades. See, I was born in 1979, this is all new to me. But anyone in the previous generations who does not recognize this repeating pattern has no excuse. (well, except maybe the abysmal failure of the media.) Watch it, and GET it. Please.

Yesterday we went to see movie version of Phantom of the Opera. The costumes were magnificent, the music was superb and powerful (but I already knew that, and the actors were great (especially Gerard Butler, yummy =). There’s a Q&A with him on the official site. I have never seen any of his other movies but I love his accent. I could listen to him talk about tax law all day. But anyway, whoever does the visual stuff though could have done better. They really didn’t take full advantage of what they had available to them above and beyond what the regular stage production has. The view of the opera house dome with the chandelier was breathtaking and the statuary in the cemetery was perfect, but I found the Phantom’s lair particularly lackluster (and not in the way it was supposed to be =). Minnie Driver was also awesome, she was gorgeous and funny. Overall it was excellent.

This weekend we went to see The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. I read where a lot of people didn’t like it, but I absolutely adored it. People are complaining that it wasn’t crammed start to finish with hilarity. All I know is, I didn’t stop smiling the whole time. (Well, maybe once, but no spoilers here.) Everyone was great, particularly Bill Murray and Willem Defoe. And I just LOVE Anjelica Huston. But like Lost in Translation, I didn’t really follow whatever personal journey the main character was supposed to be going through. I just enjoyed it on the surface, but didn’t get much message below it. It was just the dry kind of humor I usually prefer.

We went to see Finding Neverland a few days ago. I’ve heard a lot of hype about how wonderfully great it is. Well, eh, not my thing really. It was ok I mean, it was decent, but people who refuse to grow up is not a subject I find endearing. As in Girl with the Pearl Earring, I found myself in the wife, the uncreative materialistic selfish bitch with no eye for art. That’s why I never enjoy movies that employ her archetype, because she’s turning a mirror on me and I don’t appreciate it. It would be different if I could change, but you can’t just will yourself to “get it”. I’m afraid that if Mike sees enough of these movies he will start to see me this way. Anyway, it’s not that I have any problem with people refusing to grow up, I have a problem with people who are not honest about it and assume responsibilities that they cannot handle. If you resent the responsibilities of marriage, don’t get married and waist some poor woman’s best years. And I love how women always seem to be to blame for men who find themselves in this situation. As though I invented laundry and groceries to keep my man from having fun in his life. As though I have a character flaw because when our pantry is empty I suggest we need to go to the store instead of a museum. They were able bodied boys, they SHOULD help around the house an hour or two before they go off playing pirates in the park. It’s not that we ENJOY the mundane details of life, we want to have fun too!! With a little help from you the sooner we can BOTH get out of the house and ENJOY LIFE TOGETHER! GOD! F#$&#ng CHILDISH MEN!!! That’s why I like Peter Parker/Spider-man, he was up front with his girl about his responsibilities and priorities. Geez, need to meditate or something.

I got Spider-man and Spider-man II for Mike for Christmas and I hadn’t seen them before. I didn’t really originally want to because I am so not into comics and super-hero movies. After watching the first one I couldn’t wait to see the second one, and now I can’t wait to see the third one. I’m sure fans of the original Spider-man hated it and could point out all the holes and how crappy it was. But to my untrained easily entertained eye, I loved it, particularly the love story aspect. They took a stab at some kind of cliche message, but that’s not what got my attention. I just think Tobey Maguire is hot, that’s what it boils down to I guess.

We just got back from seeing Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. I have never read the books, so I can’t make any comparison there. But from my perspective, it was pure genius. It was hilarious in a way I haven’t seen since the Addams Family. No, not the same kind of humor, but it touched the same funny spot in my mind. But best of all were the costumes. I am in absolute awe of the amazing talents of the costume designers. I am so jealous, and bummed because I am no good with fine fabrics like that. I loved the bondage straps on the sleeves of the baby dress, the exquisite cut of Violet’s blue coat, and especially the cuffs of the wedding dress. If they do not win an oscar I will riot.

Last night we went to see Warriors of Heaven and Earth. It was pretty good I suppose, but I much prefer the “wire-fu” movies like Hero. It felt a lot like an American western movie, only it was a Chinese western. They portrayed Buddhism as much more mystical than I understand it. Maybe they take all the mysticism out of it for American readers? But they prayed to Buddha for help like you would to Jesus, and had holy relics that emitted a blue force field of goodness or something, and brought back a dead monk to kill his killer. That’s nothing like the Buddhism I read about. Anyway, cinematography was gorgeous, dialogue a little lame, story ok, fighting awesome, bad guy really gross, over all B-.

Last night we went to see Kinsey. I feel like I can’t say much about it since I don’t know anything about the real guy. I can’t compare it to reality. From what I’ve heard he was involved in some pretty wrong stuff, and the movie didn’t really go there. They also neglected at the end to have a little “what happened to him after that” blurb before the credits. It was certainly funny and emotional and well-acted. I think it was interesting how when he released a book about male sexuality it was wildly popular and everybody loved him. But release a book on female sexuality, whoa whoa, that’s dirty and wrong.

Last night we went to see National Treasure. I have two opinions depending on what one would be looking for. If you’re into conspiracy theory-masons treasure-whatever stuff, this movie was a total piece of crap. I can’t believe the “treasure” was actually gold. I was so hoping for something more enlightened than that. I don’t know much, I’ve only read a little about the Knights Templar, but it’s my understanding that their “treasure” was something much more interesting than gold. Ok, it was some scrolls and statues and stuff too, but still, material wealth. Now on the other hand, it was politically very good. From poking fun at those in charge of our security, to reciting my favorite line from the Declaration about if government is doing the wrong thing it our duty to change it. Also, I think history teachers today (at least the ones I personally had growing up), do a pretty dismal job of communicating just how much our founding fathers were risking when they signed the Declaration of Independence, just how dangerous an action it was, how rebellious it was, what “revolution” really means. He makes a little speech about doing the right thing even though some people see it as wrong, it could be taken either way, to justify the war in Iraq, or to justify protest. Anyway, as far as sheer entertainment, it was ok, Indiana Jones was better though. In fact, it was a rip-off of Holy Grail, which was a much better treasure, even though I don’t believe the grail is a cup.

Last night my friend brought over Battle Royale. It pretty much just made me feel icky. I got the feeling that it was trying to make some social commentary, but not being Japanese, I’m not sure I get it. It seems there is a lot of background information out there that I did not have either. I’m so weird, I found myself focusing on those little schoolgirl skirts trying to figure out how to make one for myself. I know that original Japanese movies are always superior, but I’d still be curious to see an American adaptation.

Oh yeah, and I finished watching that Votergate video. I must say I’m disappointed in the final message which was “VOTE”. Yeah, I did.

Last night we went to see The Incredibles. It was adorable. Pixar kicks ass, I love their movies. I do prefer their animal movies though. I have a soft spot for the shorts before their films also. This one was a great one about a little lamb. Anyway, there were a lot of references to mediocrity, “if everyone is special than no one is.” one of my friends got a real kick out of that message, but I’m not sure why, I just felt, well, mediocre. Entertaining movie anyway.

Saturday night we went to see Saw. _shudders It was pretty good. I haven’t seen a great scary movie like that in awhile. Well, not so much scary as intense and disturbing. It makes you ask yourself scary questions, would I directly murder another person to save myself a gruesome death?

Then we saw Dawn of the Dead, the remake that is. I really wasn’t expecting to like it, I’m not really into those kinds of movies. But it actually succeeded in entertaining me. Fortunately it was somewhat funny.

Yesterday we watched Dracula, Dead and Loving it on tv. Believe me, there was nothing else on. It was super cheesy of course, but I usually get a few more laughs out of those kinds of movies than I did this one. Just one or two giggles.

Yesterday we went to see I Heart Huckabees. It slid effortlessly into my top three list of favorite movies of all time. I can’t count the number of movies that had me on the verge of tears as the credits rolled, but this is the first time it was out of happiness. They asked all the questions I’ve ever asked, addressed every issue (except weight), and even recited our dinner conversation with Mike’s grandma’s verbatim. Lily Tomlin was adorable. Normally costumes in present day movies are blah and lackluster, but whoever designed Lily’s dresses was a true master. They were absolutely amazing, black and flowing but sophisticated and sexy at the same time. I loved the black box pleat skirt she had on in the first scene the best. Beginning to end, scene for scene, line to line, it was a perfect movie. Even Mark Wahlberg was unannoying.

Last night we went to see The Grudge. Well, it wasn’t complete crap, but the Eye and the Ring were better. It was just like them, maybe if it had come first I would have said it was better. I love the unnatural movements of the creepy girl, just like the kind that creeped me out in House on Haunted Hill. But they only did it once, at the end. The plot was annoying, but I do like the idea of the evil following you or sticking with you, unlike most horror films where all you have to do is get away. I’m interested in seeing the original Japanese version, they’re always better.

Saturday night we went to see The Forgotten. It was kind of stupid if you ask me. All it did was make me miss the X-Files. It took a lot of time and police chases to get to the point. Then once they do get to the point, the door is blown open for all sorts of intriguing questions. But no, I just want my kid thank you. The End.

Sunday night we went to see Team America, World Police. Hmm, I’m thinking, trying to sum up my impression. First of all, Trey Parker and Matt Stone deliver that same “I wish I could sit up on my little high horse and not laugh, but I can’t help but be rolling on the floor in uncontrollable stitches” humor. In terms of laughs, it was everything I expected. I did not understand why they chose to only pick on liberals. They didn’t make fun of a single conservative. This runs contrary to my impressions of them. I’ve read that they’re libertarians, which sucks because I think I hate libertarians more than I hate conservatives. Anyway, it was hilarious but Orgazmo and South Park are better.

Last night we went to see Shaun of the Dead. It was a very funny romantic comedy…with zombies. Now, it was pretty funny, but not the kind of funny that really gets me going personally. I got the feeling there were a lot of jokes I didn’t get because I haven’t seen all the old zombie movies. Anyway, it was cute, but it’s not one of my top five I don’t think.

So last night we were bored and walked down to the local video store to browse. There was nothing we really wanted to see, so we rented Perfect Score because it was the thing we wanted to not see the least. It was actually kind of clever and cute. It had a kind of lame uplifting ending, much like the Breakfast Club only not as original. Anyway, it was-as Roy would say-something to do.

Last night we went to see What the $%$ do we know?. While I was watching it, I was thinking how I was going to rush home and post telling people to get up right this minute and go see it. But some of the things in it made Mike a little mad, so it made me second guess myself. I still don’t know what those things were though. Then I was reading the comments on the IMDB, and apparently the makers are connected with some cult? I don’t know about all that, but I’d hate to promote a movie that’s just cult propaganda. But all that aside, I thought it was empowering on a scale as I’ve never seen before. It could change your life if you let it. Maybe not the movie so much itself, but the things it makes you think about. I’m going to check out some of the commentators and read some of their books. They put forward some things that could be essential to think about. For one, after years of certain emotional patterns and addictions, our cells begin to have more and more receptors for the peptides associated with those emotions, and fewer and fewer receptors for the basic nutrients we need to live, thus: aging. Also, they talked about this fascinating study where this Japanese doctor took pictures of distilled water under a microscope. He put it in different containers with labels like “Thank you” “The chi of love” and “you make me sick, I want to kill you.” Then took pictures of the water again, and it actually changed. The two positive ones had turned into breathtaking snowflake like crystals. Then someone in the movie said, “If we can do this to water, imagine what we can do to ourselves.” since we are 90% water! Anyway, I’m probably not describing the study very well, but you can read about it here. Anyway, it really made me think about fashion and why I dress and design the way I do. Fashion has a reputation for being superficial and unimportant in the grand scheme of things. But if this study has any validity, fashion is vital to who we are. If putting a label on a cup of water can change the water, what about what we put on our bodies? Hehe, maybe I shouldn’t be wearing that “Little Devil” t-shirt? Anyway, back to the movie. It could be compared to Waking Life, but the commentary is more scientific and comes from people with serious credentials.

Last night we went to see Uncovered. Once again, all information I knew. And of course, all information everyone in the theater already knew. These movies are never seen by the people who need to see them.

Ok, so Mike downloaded Trey Parker’s Orgazmo. When he first said he planned to watch it last night, I was like, ok whatever. It sounded retarded and I thought I’d just work. Yeah well, I laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe. It’s one of those movies that you wish so hard you could sit there and roll your eyes and look down on anyone who finds it funny, but you can’t because you’re too busy falling off the couch in convulsive laughter. I should have known better than to underestimate Trey Parker. He’s a genius and apparently always has been. I have to get Dish again, I miss South Park =(

Last night we went to see The Hunting of the President. It gave me a little insight since it was all stuff that happened when I was a teenager and didn’t give a crap. But it was very long and detailed and I got lost in the shuffle of names and dates. I got the feeling that there was very little in there that people don’t already know.

Last night we rented Adaptation. I want so bad to say that it was amazing, and in some ways it was. But I have to be honest. Their little bit of enlightenment at the end I found more depressing than uplifting. I realize it’s because of my own spiritual immaturity and hang-ups. The message of the scene was essentially that it’s not about who loves you but who you love. Now, as you can tell by my recent posts, I live the opposite, and I’m not emotionally ready to change. Maybe this ties in with that Alanis lyric I posted??

Last night we went to see Hero. Well, I just adore Jet Li movies anyway, but this is by far my favorite. I think it may be my favorite martial arts movie in general. No, I take that back, it’s the best movie of all time!!! We already had it on DVD, Mike ordered it from China a year ago. But it was exiting to see it in the theater. The plot is only marginally better than Crouching Tiger if at all, but it was light years better in visual poetry. As for the martial arts, I’m a sucker for anything with hints of Wushu. Essentially it’s Clue with swords, but that doesn’t even touch the depth of the final meaning. But I don’t want to give anything away.

Today we went to see Open Water. I already had a phobia of the ocean, so I already knew it would be scary. But I didn’t expect to feel the way I feel now. There silence in the theater afterwards, silence as I walked out, silence in the parking lot, and now a weird silence in my head. I expected it to be one of those movies where your life looks so sweet afterwards, but I feel strangely the opposite. My face looks ugly in the mirror. My body looks like I’d never dieted, never stepped up my exercise, 135 with my sweet cravings back. Anyone ever read Needful Things? Remember when all the people (or maybe it was the people around them?) noticed the items that they thought were so wonderful, were dirty old and dull, not worth the price they paid? It’s like that when I look in the mirror. I feel ugly, and I never knew this before this moment, but I associate ugliness with death. I feel like I’m not in myself, soulless, and ugly because of it, or is it the other way around, ugly and therefor dead? I feel like I was slowly dying in the water with them, but I didn’t come to life after walking out like one usually does. So that’s the scariest part. Never mind the sharks, jellyfish, panic, etc. I’m terrified by the fact that feeling ugly makes me feel dead, that without my youth and beauty, I don’t exist, even to myself. Now, this has nothing to do with the movie, but all I know is I felt great going in, now I feel like this. I guess I could feel a little better if I believed it was the other way around. A part of me died watching the movie, then I can see that dead part when I look in the mirror and it’s ugly? Anyway, to sum up, the movie f$##ing burst my bubble.

Last night we went to see Exorcist the Beginning. It was boring and stupid. I expected it to be stupid, I did not expect it to be boring.

Ok, so I know I’m way behind, but I finally saw Kill Bill vol 1. I was reluctant because to be honest, it looked stupid. I have to say, I was wrong. Geniusly choreographed, killer music, and hilarious. If it took itself too seriously, it would the lamest movie ever. And in spite of myself, I found myself engrossed in the plot. I can’t wait to watch Vol II tonight.

Yesterday we rented How to Kill Your Neighbor’s Dog. It was soo funny and I loved the dialogue. Once again, I don’t have anything deep to say right now, I want to go to lunch.

Then last night we went to see “Alien vs Predator”;http://www.avp-movie.com/. God help me, I loved it. It was blessedly short, just enough for the attention span of its intended audience. I always respected the predators, their sense of honor. Of course there were some places that were so cheesy I had to crack up, but that’s ok, that was to be expected. Does anyone know if they have females? I know this isn’t in any of the movies, but are there any books or comics or anything that explain their civilization further? I bet predator sex is the hottest sex in the universe =)

Yesterday we watched Outfoxed. I wasn’t able to make to any of the parties a couple weeks ago that showed it (those parties MoveOn was promoting.) So I just bought the video to watch at home. I suppose it was like Unprecedented in that there wasn’t a whole lot of information I didn’t already know. These kinds of movies are always seen by the wrong people, those of us who already know. But the main point isn’t that Fox has a right wing slant, it’s the false advertising in claiming to be fair and balanced. Once again, the “what you should do” segment was vague and unhelpful as ever.

We also watched Fangoria Blood Drive. Some of the stories were just plain funny. The dvd had an awesome interview with Clive Barker and they showed a whole boatload of his paintings. They are amazing, I’m going to go looking for prints now, tata!

Last night we went to see The Manchurian Candidate. Pretty good I suppose. They pegged our political climate pretty accurately. I’ve had about enough of Denzel Washington’s and Liev Schreiber’s faces for one lifetime, a lot of facial close-ups. Kind of a scary movie if you ask me. I dunno, I’m tired.

Last night we went to see The Village. I’m tired of reading the comments on the IMDB. It seems like it’s just cool for everyone to hate movies. Every movie that I think is phenomenal, people say it’s the worst movie ever. It makes me wonder if I’m some kind of idiot. Anyway, despite what the smart people say, I thought this movie was awesome. For those who love M. Night Shyamalan, he definitely delivers. Unfortunately it’s one of those movies I can’t say much about without giving it away. (Mom, you’ve gotta go see it and wear earplugs until the theater lights dim. I challenge you to figure out the ending.) Admittedly, there are movies where I can see the ending coming 10 minutes into it, but Shyamalan’s movies are certainly not them. I’m tired of people acting like because they’re sooo smart that they can see the end coming, that somehow that makes the filmmaker bad. The fact is he fooled most everybody else, just be grateful you’re so brilliant.

Last night I watched Unprecedented the 2000 Presidential Election. I knew most of the information, but it was put together in a concise manner and made it all easy to understand. If anyone is at all interested in how Bush stole the election, check this movie out. Plus, it’s nice and short =)

Oh yeah, and we also watched Stuck On You. It was somewhat more clever than the previews suggested, but no real surprises. Cute, that’s about all. The funniest thing to me was that they never acknowledged that they didn’t look alike. Fraternal twins wouldn’t be conjoined.

Last night we went to see The Corporation. Get up out of your chair right now and go see it. I realize it’s not playing everywhere, but if you are one of the few blessed people who have an enlightened theater chain in your town, get thee there now. Bring friends, bring everybody. Go now!

Last night we went to see Napoleon Dynamite. It was absolutely adorable! Only a tiny sliver of movies actually keep me laughing my ass off the whole time, and this movie has the distinction of being one of them. I was reading the critics on IMDB, but I think you have to be a total asshole not to like this movie. They say the plot isn’t coherent, but does life always have a coherent plot? I mean yeah, the characters were someone characatures, but that’s what makes them funny because you know the people they mean. Anyway, if you’re in need of a lightening up, I definitely recommend this movie to all!!!

Last night we went to see I,Robot. As a non-Will Smith fan, I was really not expecting to like this movie. I appreciated that they kept his WillSmithisms to a minimum. There’s not a whole lot I can say about it without spoiling it though. It turned out to be kind of a prologue to the Animatrix. And I have to admit and give it credit, I did not see the end coming. Normally I can predict these things, and maybe it was totally predictable and I’m losing my touch, but they got me on the whodunit. Anyway, I haven’t eaten anything yet this morning, so I can’t give any deep insights. It was a great action flick, and makes you ask a few questions, but nothing to hard. (ie When does a personality simulation become a soul?)

Ugh, I bought this dvd called Unlocking Da Vinci’s Code. It was kind of a documentary you see on tv, but I’m not sure what channel it came from. It was terrible, don’t bother if you see it on the shelf at Border’s. They open it asking all these questions, really grab you, then they basically don’t tell you sh@#t. They introduce Da Vinci’s work, then take you back in time to discuss what knowledge he possessed that he was coding into his work. But they just lightly skim over all the theories and don’t give any evidence for or against any of them. I didn’t learn a darn thing, in fact I knew more than some of the speakers. And they never do tie it back to Da Vinci. It was pitiful.

Last night we went to see Control Room . I cannot believe this movie hasn’t gotten more coverage. It has slipped completely under the radar. It is not nearly as entertaining as Fahrenheit 9/11, but if you hard core give a sh@#t like I do, this movie is VERY important. It gives us a peek into the embedded news media biases in particular Al Jazeera. I didn’t feel there was any propaganda or agenda because it’s ABOUT propaganda and agenda kind of. Anyway, it wasn’t funny the way Michael Moore’s movies are, but Rumsfeld manages to be the comic relief all by himself. My favorite part is when the Al Jazeera guy they mostly follow around is talking to some guy and he rhetorically asks, who is going to stop the United States? He says that the United States will stop the United States. He said he had absolute faith in the American people.

Last night I was just starting to feel better, but not well enough to go to tae kwon do. So we went to go see The Stepford Wives. Well, A+ for the costumes. Otherwise, eh. It was pretty funny; I’ll give it that. But it had a lot of inconsistencies. Why, if they were only brain implants, was the one woman able to cough up cash like an ATM? The implants were on the top of the brain, far from where motor functions are controled, yet the remote could make her stop in her tracks? (Or am I wrong about that? I thought the neocortex was in charge of higher though?) Anyway, I’m nit picking, I know, but in general is was entertaining at least. It seems like there should have been more of a social commentary, but there wasn’t.

My dad loaned me Waking Life. STanding ovation, it’s a masterpiece!!! The swimmy animation got a little annoying after awhile, but as for everything else, genius. While it may seem on the surface to be all about the various opinions and rants, it isn’t, and you don’t have to agree with any of them to enjoy it. Although they all reflected something I’d read or thought of or believed at one time or another and still do. Anyway, someone might get hung up on the views, but it’s actually about the search. No one knows “the answer” so we all search for our own. My favorite was the pinball guy at the end. To paraphrase, he said that our lives are us repeatedly saying “no” to god, nonono, until one day we say “yes”. I’m not sure whether or not the “yes” automatically implies death. There were sevreal mentions of studies along the way that I’m curious if they’re real or not. The one about how they secretly gave the study group a day old crossword and they answered it 20% faster than the new crosswords, implying that since it had already been solved by other people the day before there is a collective psychic sharing of information. Also that there is brain activity 6-12 minutes after the body dies. You could dream a whole life in that time. What about people who’s head is mush, or those who are vaporized in an instant (Hiroshima?). Anyway, I’m getting off topic. The acting was so perfect as to not seem like acting at all. It’s almost like they just recorded real conversations, much like Melvin Goes to Dinner. Or is that what they did?

I just got back from seeing Fahrenheit 9/11. Do NOT judge this movie before you have seen it. Many people will not like it (of course I thought it was brilliant, perfect, stupendous, etc), but how dare you judge it before you see it. Make up your own mind, hate it because you saw it and really hate it, not because you heard what it was about and decided you don’t agree. All of the information is stuff I’ve read and and quite confident it is accurate. Do not miss this. This is what is going on and people need to know. There are some very disturbing things that I was not ready to see, but I’m glad I did. Michael Moore doesn’t hog the camera the way he did in Bowling for Columbine. While it does present a certain point of view, all the people in it are expressing their opinions, there is nothing scripted. I am curious as to what about it people are saying isn’t true. I thought I knew everything there was to know on the subject because I’ve read so much, but even I learned a few things, and it’s damn funny! And I cried.

The first season of Six Feet Under. When Mike suggested it, I was kind of like, eh. But it’s actaully awesome! It’s pretty much right up our alley of humor. Are we really supposed to be laughing at this, it just seems wrong. Anyway, we’ve only watched the first disc, but so far I’m loving it.

Yesterday we watched Suicide Club. When it was all over, we just looked at each other with the same thought. “What?”

Last night we went to see Saved. Oh my goodness, it was ssooooo funny! It was perfect. It did not, contrary to popular belief, ridicule Christianity. It did however ridicule a caricature of a certain kind of Christian. The overall message, tolerance, was one I’d gotten long ago, so it didn’t say anything new, but it was enjoyable anyway. I admit, I’ve always hated Macaulay Culkin, but I adored him in this movie. He was charming and had some great lines. It was also telling how the only one to show the protagonist any compassion was the non-Christian. Anyway, if you are Mandy Moore’s character, you will be offended, but if you’re anyone else, it’s a hoot!

Last night we watched Love Actually. Oh my goodness I absolutely adored it! I think I’m putting it in my top 5 romantic movies. It was funny, perfectly casted for great chemistry, and actually romantic!! I don’t have a lot of time this morning, so I’m just going to say it’s a must see if you’re in the mood for something positive and uplifting and lovey. My favorite parts were when the Prime Minister stood up to the US president, and when the one guy says “It’s the best (favorite, happiest? don’t remember) part of my day, driving you.” and she says in Portuguese “it’s the saddest part of my day, leaving you.” But neither one knows what the other said. Sigh.

Last night we watched Avalon. Well ok, as far as aesthetics go, it was awesome. The weird orange tint to everything, the music, little dialogue, repetitiveness, and other things made it hauntingly beautiful. But as far as plot goes, bleh. As it finally drew near the end I started to actually give a crap about the ending, but they blew it. Stupid. Now, granted, I’m not a gamer, so the premise wouldn’t have interested me in the slightest anyway, but it was still bad. Leaving certain things open to question can make for a good movie, sometimes a better movie, but they crossed the line leaving to many things unanswered, namely, what the heck happened to the dog?! And what was so bad about the real world that people were drawn to this game and how did it get that way? What happens when you die? How was that guy’s mind still in the game when he was miles away in a hospital bed (same question asked about the Matrix, but they at least semi explained that one.)

Last night we watched 21 Grams. I don’t think it needed to be told out of sequence, that didn’t add a thing. If this movie is good for anything, it’s one of those appreciate-what-you-have movies. I don’t really have much more to say about it. It’s one of those movies where you don’t talk afterwards, just hug the person you’re with and go to bed.

Last night we watched In America. It was interesting how while technically taking place in the 80’s, it was loaded with anachronisms so it didn’t become a period film. I got the feeling though that it was intended to be highly emotionally charged, but I felt no emotion the entire time except at the very end. But that may have to do with the fact that we have decided not to have children and family movies never choke me up. I had to laugh a little because we were just talking about artists a few posts back, and when Mateo slit his hand and made a bloody handprint on his canvas, I snickered to Mike, “now HE’s an artist =)” Anyway, I’m curious to know if anyone else has seen it and if they felt anything, I’m wondering if it was the acting or if I’m just dead inside. Except the carnival scene where the dad is playing their last cent for an ET doll, that may have been the best directed scene.

Last night we watched Elephant. I guess is was supposed to be like Columbine, but there were some unrealistic things about it. First off, I don’t remember having so much freedom in high school. This guy and girl just walk up to the office, say I want to sign out, and off they go. No one seemed to be to concerned with the bell either. And, can you just order a gun and get it in the mail? Maybe I’m terribly naive, but I didn’t think that was how it worked. Why didn’t a neighbor call the police if they heard gunshots in the garage while they were practicing? Anyway, 95% off the movie is the camera following around all the normal people, the big overall theme being normalcy. They neglected to show how abnormal the two shooters were. Ok, so one got spit wads thrown at him, big deal. I absolutely did not feel their rage. Or maybe the fact that they did seem so normal and in good spirits while planning is what makes them abnormal?

Yesterday we watched Girl With a Pearl Earring. OH it was absolutely beautiful. My only complaint is that once again I found myself in the dim witted not understanding category. The jealous wife screams, “Why don’t you ever paint ME?” He says “because you don’t understand.” She says, “and she does!?” And I have to say, I’m with her, I guess I’m just stupid and ugly because I don’t puts hand to forehead understand art? The stupid jealous wife is the only character I related to. Anyway, it was snobby if you ask me, but gorgeous to watch nonetheless. OH yeah, word to the wise: if you’re a dirt poor maid who suffers emotional abuse and sexual assault on a daily basis, When an incredibly hot guy with a good job says, “Imagine, a life of our own, answering to no one, Marry Me?” YES!! The Answer is YES!!! DUH! Oh wait, I’m into art, I must suffer. Please. Anyway, I wish I could give some kind of la-di-da speech about the art, the color, the ooh-la-la artiness stuff, but I didn’t go to college, so this will have to do. And I’ve decided that artists are the snootiest people on the face of this planet.

Last night we watched Cabin Fever. Yucky yucky yucky, I don’t know why I even rented it. I know good and well I hate icky movies. I am so easily disturbed and put onto thoughts of death. I guess I just really wanted to see it because it had Rider Strong. Anyway, effects were great, filmography was great, plot was crap but that was to be expected.

Last night we started to watch The Omega Code. We only watched the first half hour or so, then the DVD crapped out. Which was fine with me because it wasn’t looking very good. I’ve seen better acting in porn. I can’t say anything about the plot though, didn’t get far enough.

So instead we watched Johny English. I’m actually really not into physical humor, I can’t stand Ben Stiller, Chris Farley, or the Stooges, but for some weird reason I just love Rowan Atkinson, he always cracks me up.

Just got done watching The Triplets of Belleville. It was definitely something else. The animation was creepy and hilarious at the same time, and I love how the entire story was told with little to no dialogue. I did get the feeling that there were some jokes and cameos that I might not be getting since I’m not familiar with the time period. The dog may be my favorite character I think, he reminds me so much of Mike’s grandma’s dog Spot. Anyway, if you’re looking for something genuinely different I highly recommend it for it is truly in a class by itself. OH yeah, tiny treat at the end of the credits; it’s incomplete without it.

Last night we rented a whole week’s worth of movies. We didn’t mean to. It’s just that by the time we’d finished scanning the new releases we had an armload. Last night we watched Big Fish. I don’t have to much to say about it, just that is was magical. It didn’t touch any personal nerves for me, but it was extraordinary entertainment nonetheless.

Yesterday we went to see The Day After Tomorrow. I personally thought it was awesome. However, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it campy, but it didn’t quite take itself seriously enough for the audience to take it seriously. I’m afraid people aren’t going to take it for the warning that it is. It’s like, now we don’t have to worry about anything like that ever happening because it’s “just a movie”. Although the science is fairly solid as far as I know. I do think they sped up the process for dramatic effect. I loved the tornadoes in L.A., very wrath-of-god like. I was also amused by the Cheney look-alike, and the president’s lines all starting with the word “what?”. Not only should it serve as an environmental warning, but as a foreign policy warning also, inasmuch as we would be dependent on other countries charity if we were to flee North America. Anyway, as much as I wish it would, it’s not going to cause any American gas pigs to give up their SUV’s.

Last night we went to see Godsend. It was good if you ignore the fact that it could have been light years better. It started out as a good premise, but they could have done something so much more interesting with it. I feel the writer cheesed out. It was predictable every step of the way, but I’m used to that. The unfortunate thing is the one who ultimately suffers the most is the kid. It pretty much goes like this: parents do something stupid, doctor does something stupider, kid suffers. Now it was well made, neat house, camera angles, etc. Anyway, to sum up, it wasn’t a piece of crap but I expected more (which is my fault).

Last night we went to see Shrek 2. I thought it was absolutely adorable and charming. Everyone knew it would be, so I guess I don’t have much else to say about it. Cheesy music choices, but I guess that was to be expected also. The thing I loved that I guarantee everyone is going to miss is the toxic potion factory run by the fairy godmother. No one is going to recognize that all of our happily-ever-after products are polluting the earth. Everyone understood the message of true happiness not coming in a bottle or pill, but the toxic factory should be more than a passing giggle and it’s not.

Well, we missed the Chinese culture festival, so we went to see Super Size Me. Now, many people are criticizing it, but I have to say I enjoyed it immensely and it’s not what people think. People are judging without seeing it. It goes way beyond “blaming McDonald’s” and definitely promotes personal responsibility. Yeah, sure, to a certain degree it’s common sense, but he does uncover many new facts and it’s entertaining too. There’s a difference between common sense and real knowledge. It doesn’t defend the lawsuits, in fact it kind of makes fun of one of the lawyers. He covers a lot of ground besides his experiment, kind of like Bowling for Columbine, he talks about surrounding issues, the advertising, school lunches, etc. Unfortunately, it’s those who already have internalized this information who are going to see it, and the ones who think it sounds stupid, and are afraid to see it, that need the information and the wake up call most, who won’t.

Last night we went to see The Punisher. Well, normally, this is exactly the kind of movie I would absolutely never see. But it was exactly what I needed to bring me down to earth. I know that sounds weird talking about a no where near reality shoot-em-up revenge movie. With all this zen reading, spiritual seeking, and vain attempts to understand god, I had really started to float away. I needed something low minded and dirty. It was actually pretty well written except for a few one liners which I could have done without. Naturally the philosophy (if you can call it that) is pretty much the antithesis of mine, but that’s ok, I wasn’t looking for that.

Last night we watched The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Nothing to think about, no message, it was great. A real no brainer. Didn’t care about the dead son thing, didn’t feel the tension between Mina and Dorian, this is what’s passing for acting these days? It was refreshingly shallow, nothing to get, just great effects. We also rented some Space Ghost episodes. Space Ghost is the freaken bomb! We only watched one of the cd’s, but it didn’t have Brak on it. Maybe he’ll be on the second one. I had a strange crush on Brak in high school.

Last night we watched Punch-Drunk Love. I had mixed feelings about it. It was exquisitely made, camera angles and colors were great. The plot was romantic and engrossing. But I learned something about myself. I am very uncomfortable around weird people. Even though he was on the screen and not in the room, I felt uncomfortable in his presence. I never realized it before, but I start squirming in my skin when I’m around people who I sense aren’t all there. I never thought of myself as a bitch before, but this feels like a bitchy tendency. Or is that just intuition helping me stay away from dangerous people?