Conversations with Other Women (2005)
★★★ / ★★★★

“Conversations with Other Women,” directed by Hans Canosa started off with seemingly two strangers (Aaron Eckhart and Helena Bonham Carter) flirting and finding some sort of connection. Eventually, they realized that they’ve known each other in the past–ten years to be exact. What I love most about this picture was its ability to present opposites and the insights that go with them. For instance, Eckhart was more light-hearted and likes to makes jokes while Carter was more of a Debbie Downer and oozes sarcasm. The split-screen worked well because it played upon the very opposite of things, such as one screen would present the past while the other the present, one screen would present reality while the other fantasy, and then back to the characters as it captured the exact facial responses and body languages when the two would converse. I understand that a plethora of people were put off by this film because of the split-screen and the fact that the whole movie was an extended conversation between two past lovers. However, I didn’t find anything bothersome about it. In fact, the whole thing made me smile because it reminded me of great films like Louis Malle’s “My Dinner with Andre” and Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise” and “Before Sunset.” With a short running span of one hour and twenty minutes, it was very efficient because the first half was more about the comedy and rekindling an old romance, while the second half–after the sex which was the midpoint–focused more on the circumstances on why these two people, despite their obvious chemistry, could potentially never be together. I recommend this film to anyone interested in great conversations because it made me feel like I was right there in the room with them. To be honest, I found myself laughing out loud with some of the jokes and teasing that each character threw at each other, something that happens in real life. Another reason why I was glad to have finally seen this movie was seeing Carter play a “normal” person. Whenever I see her, I usually think of her being an evil witch (“Harry Potter” series) or a woman who serves pies made of human flesh (“Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”). This is a strong, quick-paced little movie and intelligent cinema lovers should not miss it.

Espero que hayan cumplido el reto de ver tooodas las películas de Halloween llenas de sangre, violencia, adolescentes estúpidos…mmm, confio en que algunos de mis lectores son psicópatas y vaya que disfrutaron verlas y leer las palabras anteriores; y algunos que si no lo eran descubrieron que lo son por amar ver tanta SANGRE, VIOLENCIA, ADOLESCENTES ESTÚPIDOS (se que les gustan esas palabras…o mejor dicho, que les valen). Yo? Si, si disfruto verlas…porque me puedo reír de ellas, aunque desgraciadamente no las pude ver todas este año porque muchas personas se volaron las películas del Blockbuster…no los culpo. En fin: psicopátas. Son las personas más geniales que he visto en el cine. Son manipuladores, agresivos, calculadores, inteligentes…ahhh. Eso según los psicólogos. Pero según yo, aquí va un recuento de las personas geniales -y malvadas- del mundo del cine con patología imprecisa:
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille
Nuestro chico francés que tiene un gusto especial al aroma de las mujeres jovénes y hará todo para obtenerlo…en especial matar.

Catherine Tramell

La mujer que arrancó…suspiros a muchos hombres en Bajos Instintos y que encontraba un placer mayor en matar a los hombres que …estar con ellos. (No la culpo…sólo vean el Espacio de Keso y díganme si no se convertirian en asesinos al leer lo que dicen…haha)

Earl Brooks

Pues, este Mr. Brooks es un psicópata agradable (en los estándares comunes) y muestra bien a sus …amiguitos que viven en su cabeza.

SWEENY TODD

Ohh, me gusta mucho la película! Mrs. Lovett quién ama a un psicópata asesino y él la mata al final lanzandola en una caldera…Que hermosa historia! Esperen…me suena conocida…Oh…

Anton Chigurh

Bueno…pues me sonó a Harvey Dent lo de su moneda esa, pero aún así la escena final es genial y más aún la cara de “que más da” de Javier Berdam.

LEATHERFACE

El sonido de la sierra + una chica gritando horrible durante toda la película= Boo! Hasta a mi me asustó por sus gritos y aún peor cuando esta en la hermosa reunión familiar de psicópatas: oh, que honor! El abuelo de 150 años va a partirle la cabeza para la cena! Llena de miedo psicológico tiene la cinta ” La masacre en Texas” y quién no? Con un carnícero con una máscara de pieles humanas. Me llevo dos!

Hannibal lecter

El ex psiquiatra Dr. Hannibal cuyo plato favorito somos tú y yo. Bastante culto e inteligente y con diálogos llenos de ingenio hacen que entre en la categoría de psicópatas refinados. Pase usted, es hora de la cena!

JIGSAW

Vaya lecciones de vida nos da! Acosado por una enfermedad terminal, busca enseñar a todo aquél que no disfrute su vida a cómo “Vivir la vida” con unos simples y divertidos juegos: No pierdes nada al jugar! Sólo que si pierdes, mueres de una forma horrible y dolorosa. ¿Quieres jugar?

ESTHER

Una “niña” completamente diabólica!!!! Ok, es una psicópata. Basta ver los lindos dibujos que tiene pegados en su cuarto, bueno, ya sabemos porque no quisieron ponerlos en la puerta del refrigerador. Sabe mostrar muy bien lo psicópata y más aún con la escena de la paloma. Bueno, claramente con una pedrada en el cráneo dejara de sufrir.

NORMAN BATES
Creación de Hitchcook de un hombre que se disfraza de su madre para asesinar. Es prota de la famosa escena de la ducha. Usa frases cortas como estas. Muy buena actuación. Vaya madre debió ser esa. Han de oirse raras estas frases. Diablos.

PATRICK BATEMAN

A poco? Por algo se llama Psicópata Americano, no? Ohh, muy buenas escenas hay en la película. Desde el vago asesinado, la chica asesinada con la sierra desde las escaleras, su crisis mientras confiesa sus crímenes. Vaya que vale la pena y Christian Bale aquí es muy genial!

Alex McDowell

El ultraviolento Alex es sumamente genial en Naranja Mecánica y un claro ejemplo de psicópata…un psicópata fanático de Beethoven y de Gene Kelly, cabría suponer.

Y AHORA…EL NÚMERO UNO!!!!

THE JOKER!!!

El de Heath, claro. Bueno, bueno…él no es un psicópata. Más bien es un sociópata (simplemente Joker <3), pero no importa. Ya no falta decir POR QUÉ, verdad? Creo que ya lo he dejado claro. Ohhhhhh…<3 <3

Tim Burton is notorious for his creatively grotesque  film characters - which include Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, Sweeny Todd, and Batman,  - among many others.  The famed director/ producer/ artist is a fascinating inventor who has spent his film career molding and perfecting obscure ideas, turning them into brilliant movies (his newest one, a colorful and creepy Alice in Wonderland, is set to be released in 2010).  As such, the MoMA is exhibiting over 500 photographs, paintings, doodles, storyboards, stories, sculptures and sketches, dating back to Burton’s days at the California Institute of Art in its aptly named exhibition ”Tim Burton.”

Tim Burton. Untitled (The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories). Image from the MoMA

The exhibition opens November 22nd, and the honored artist reveals some information about one of his paintings that will be on display.  A recent article from NY Magazine states,

…he says his acrylic painting The Green Man (1996–1998) is a kind of self-portrait and memento mori. It’s about “a feeling of being in a pub in England, thinking about my grandmother who had died, and feeling the connections she had with me.” The sharp edges of the triangular blue mask invoke her death in a traumatic accident. The stitching all over the man’s face is “a symbol for the internal, an indicator of a person’s different sides and struggle to keep it together.” … “I was depressed and disconnected. I couldn’t feel my hands. I bought some striped socks and suddenly felt very connected to the Earth again.” Really? Striped socks? “I have strange things happen to me.” Which will come as a surprise to exactly no one.

These were all homemade by their respective costumers.
Photos are taken from coolest homemade costumes dot com.

I’m afraid I don’t have a great deal to say about the two films of the day. One of them was good, the other very good. They are both the first feature films of directors I think have the potential to make even better films.

9 is an animated film directed by Shane Acker. He is formerly known only for a short film, also called 9( you can see it by pressing link), which won an Oscar in 2005. I was a big fan of the short film and therefore had my hopes up for the expanded feature version. Unfortunately, the transition hasn’t been to the film maker’s advantage, at least not artistically.

What made the short film 9 such a unique creature was that it threw us smack into a world that seemed familiar and alien at the same time, never offering any explanations for what we saw or why. While having many of the characteristics of a post apocalyptic earth, the protagonist was a rag doll with the number 9 painted on his back. There were no humans in sight. Exploring this destroyed world, he came upon a monstrous creature that started an intense chase of the frail doll. He found a round metallic object that, put properly together, released ghostly forms of other rag dolls who faded away into the ether or afterlife. This was the plot, and I didn’t feel I needed to know more, really. There were no dialogue and this strengthened the pure chase concept. It was certainly clear that Acker had an eye for design and a good understanding of what makes animation work. His sense of movement and gravity in animation was particularly impressive.

For the feature length version, the chase of the short film constitutes the beginning of the film and yes, ghostly figures – souls of the dolls? – are released at the end. In between we have an hour of more chase scenes and so many stock situations that I wondered if the script writers had encountered some paint by numbers guide to how to write trite dialogue for scenes seen a hundred times before.

As in the short film, the character 9 starts out mute, but unfortunately that situation is quickly remedied. As soon as these dolls start speaking American, they lose a lot of mystery, but also intelligence, it seems. All of a sudden they spout feelings that are supposed to sound dramatic or even political, but comes off as something a child would say. And no, this is not intentional. “We must save him! You are a coward! I’m sorry! You can’t hide from reality!” For some reason, the script writers have only been able to think in exclamation points while writing the dialogue. The same heavy-handedness can be found in the plot as well; never offering dilemmas we haven’t seen many times before, spouting Disneyfied sentiments about the importance of sticking up for one‘s friends and reducing everything to a fight between the good guys and the bad guys, with no grey scales. This is where animation studios like Pixar and Studio Ghibli really excels, never going for the easiest solutions or indeed world views.

As the film, then, is never more than a question of getting from here to there, I found myself bored even by the generous amount of action taking place in the plot. What saves the film is that the animation is absolutely gorgeous and that Acker hasn’t lost his eye for design and for making the characters move in exciting and fresh ways. The world he has created is indeed fascinating and had the script been better, especially the dialogue, this could really have been something. As it is it is never more than entertaining, at times it is less.

I think I’ll blame one of the producers, Tim Burton, for this. Hell, I’m feeling magnanimous, I‘ll blame the other producer, Timur Bekmambetov, as well. For one thing, I guess it was Burton who made Pamela Pettler write the screenplay. She also had a finger in the screenplay for Burton’s Corpse Bride, so I assume her presence here is no coincidence. I have a feeling that all my objections to the dialogue should be directed to her, and to Burton. Let me take a moment to explain why I consider Burton poison to the film.

9 would probably not have been made without Burton’s name attached to it, so for that Acker must be grateful. But when did Burton really make a more than passable film? His latest, Sweeney Todd, had its moments, well helped by the dependability of Stephen Sondheim’s wonderful songs. Big Fish is a cinematic atrocity best forgotten. Sleepy Hollow should have been a horror film, but was turned into an exercise in style and quirkiness and never remotely scary. His two stop motion animation films, Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride, seem designed only to be different in concept from most mainstream animated features, but are they really that good? Sure, some of Danny Elfman’s music is catchy, but what is really the point of the films? That outsiders have feelings too? Burton is the cosy Goth, never daring to be different enough to be disturbing, intent on turning the borderline strange into the definite mainstream. Has he ever had any meaning behind his films other than the aforementioned call to accept the goth, the freak, the outsider? Subtle, he is not, and intelligence you have to search for elsewhere. After Edward Scissorhands, he should maybe have called it a day, realizing that he had made his masterpiece and not emulate the same formula again and again.

The point to make here, is that while the original short film of 9 retained much mystery and, by necessity of its format, perhaps, allowed the audience to actively make its own interpretations of what they were seeing. After Burton’s hands have fondled the package, every movement now has to be given a reason and that reason is never very interesting when you peel away the, grantedly, spectacular surface. Much like so many of Burton’s own films.

Pretty much all the protests I have directed at Burton’s cinema, I could also send the way of the film’s other producer, Timor Bekmambetov. He as well has made a career on pure surface, seemingly having little interest in what he is actually trying to say, or even accomplish, with his films. Daywatch, Nightwatch and Wanted all look very good, but have so many narrative problems that were they a person, Mel Gibson would seem sane in comparison.
While these big name producers ensured that Acker could bring “his vision” to the big screen, they also ensured that said vision would be severely diluted, turning all mystery into cliché and placing something that had aspirations of being original plump into the safety of the still waters of the mainstream. And that, my friends, is not where you catch the biggest fish, and certainly not the most succulent.

Sin Nombre is a film about people seeking escape because they have to. The young Honduran girl, Sayra, has no prospects in her own country and chooses to set out on the long journey towards USA with her father, who she hasn’t seen for many years. El Casper(or Willy, as he sometimes calls himself) is a young man – or boy – who has pledged his life to a local street gang, seemingly in perpetual war with the rival Los Chavalles. After he kills the leader for a number of reasons, he knows that his life is over, but chooses to make his way to USA as well, on the same train as Sayra. I don’t want to say more about the plot, again not to give away too much.

The director, Cary Fukunaga, has formerly made a short film about the subject of Mexican immigrants dying of overheating in a truck, trying to make their way into USA. However, Sin Nombre, separates itself from a number of films about the crossing over the Mexican/US border by treating USA almost as a MacGuffin. USA is some vague goal that we doubt will influence the proceedings in other ways than to bring the action forward.

The film is as much about the possibility of starting anew in a philosophical sense than in the particular case of USA as the necessary site of this renewal. More than that, it is about innocence and the limits of innocence; the mechanisms that taints us by some sin, some overstepping of a boundary we only realize that we have crossed when it’s too late to go back.

I hear that the director spent some time travelling on top of trains the same distance as the protagonists, in order to get a grip of what they are going through. This, if true, serves the film well, as the train riding scenes seem very realistic, while at the same time offering the director the opportunity to show how evil and good is often a question of the geography of chance.

I should not forget to mention that Sin Nombre works very well as a thriller. It shows us a world we don’t often see and there is not a false scene or sentiment in the film. The guns are primitive, and they don’t make the explosive noise of a Hollywood actioner, but they are just as deadly. And in many ways they are more fatal.

Hey my little buddies, greetings…from Wichita, Kansas.

Yes, I am still not home! We are sleeping over since my mother has not fixed her head lights yet, and it’s dark…so we can’t leave. It’s like prison, but we don’t get pajamas.

FREE PAJAMAS

Since this wonderful photo is from that very interesting movie, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and since Tim Burton makes creepy films, and since creepy things remind us of a very strange holiday, and because I have no fun things to talk about besides this…weird topic, I shall begin this blog – officially!

Halloween

Awe, that wondrous holiday, a time where people [like me] can dress up [like me] and still be liked by the general public [unlike me]. It is that most blessed time, that comes but once a year, a day when you may dress up as anything you like and still be called sane…oh, what joy and elation!!!

Alas, poor me, I am away from our homeland and will not be able to celebrate this freakin’ awesome holiday…*lets out her sorrow*.

So, instead of me feeling sorry for myself and feeling extremely sad, since she wanted to dress up as CAT this year, Engeddie is asking you all to tell her your plans for Halloween:

• Do you and your family celebrate Halloween?
• What are you going to dress up as this year?
• Do you give candy or poison to the little children who come to your door?
• Do you have any past stories of this holiday which I might find interesting?
• Do you decorate your house for Halloween?
• Do you go to parties or haunted houses?
  

Please, do tell all!

Anyway, I have finished, Alice in Wonderland, and I find the story to be plainly, genius. Not only did it meet all of  my expectations [do I sound like I'm selling something here?] but, it also made me realize how much of the story I didn’t know *gasp* and how much Disney butchered the plot line [why is this surprising to me?]…go Hollywood.

Some key differences I noticed between the movie and the book:

• The March Hare and the Mad Hatter never said anything about “Unbirthday Parties”…it was actually Humpty Dumpty who said that! [not joking]
• Disney left out a lot of really cool characters: the griffin, the mock turtle, the duchess, the white knight etc.
• Even though Disney mixed plot/characters from both stories [Alice in Wland and Through the Looking Glass] they left out the best stuff from the second book.

Okay, I am ranting now…please forgive me! I promise I’ll never do it again…*hehehe*

Anyway, the Israel trip is coming up, and I am leaving for the airport on Tuesday evening!!! I still have to do laundry!!!

Of course, I am still stuck away from home so…um, who wants to do my laundry for me???

Or does anyone have a coupon for free pajamas?

SWEENY TODD: EL DIABÓLICO BARBERO DE LA CALLE FLEET

Ficha Técnica

TITULO ORIGINAL	Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
AÑO	2007
DURACIÓN	117 min.
PAÍS
DIRECTOR	Tim Burton
GUIÓN	John Logan (Obra: Stephen Sondheim, Christopher Bond, Hugh Wheeler)
MÚSICA	Stephen Sondheim
FOTOGRAFÍA	Dariusz Wolski
REPARTO	Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall
PRODUCTORA	DreamWorks Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures
WEB OFICIAL	http://www.sweeneytoddmovie.com/

Sinopsis

Sweeney Todd: el barbero diabólico de la calle Fleet narra la historia de Benjamin Barker, encarcelado durante 15 años lejos de su hogar en Londres debido a una falsa acusación del juez Turpin, que sólo quería quedarse con su esposa. Al regreso de su injusto cautiverio, Barker busca a su familia, pero descubre que su esposa se envenenó y que el juez Turpin tiene cautiva a su hija Johanna.

Entonces, Benjamin Barker cambia su nombre por Sweeney Todd, regresa a su antigua barbería y comienza a tramar su venganza, mientras va asesinando a distintas personas con su navaja de barbero. Para ello, se aliará con la Sra. Lovett, la solitaria dueña del local ubicado debajo de la barbería. En la sangrienta venganza, ella encontrará un modo de reavivar su negocio de empanadas de carne con las víctimas de su compañero del piso de arriba.

Como historia paralela, Anthony Hope, que rescató a Sweeney Todd del mar, conoce a Johanna, cautiva por el juez Turpin, sin saber que es hija del barbero, y traman junto a Sweeney su liberación.

Trailer

As many of you have seen Beyonce has been sporting a metal glove lately.  Has Beyonce gone “Steampunk”?  God, I hope so. 

After witnessing her ‘Single Ladies’ video, I couldnt help but be excited to see her wearing a “Steampunk-ish” glove.  Now, I’ve been a fan of “Steampunk” for quite a while now, and I’d love to see people pick it up. And not to put her on a pedestal but she is just the person to bring it back into style.  And that would make me, oh so, very happy.

“Steampunk” is the mixture of clothing of the Victorian Era and technology of the Industrial Revolution.  A very vintage and antiquish look that I, personally, love.

‘Sweeny Todd’ did a great job at showing off  ”Steampunk” Clothing…

But I’m more about the technology and gadgets associated with “Steampunk”.  ‘The Prestige’ and ‘The Illusionist’ show these off pretty well…

I don’t think I would ever go full blown on “Steampunk”, but I LOVE the accessories and will be flashing them every now-and-then.  And I’ve even seen some “Steampunk-ish” jewelry pop up in stores like Icing, Claire’s and Torrid, in which I’m super excited about! 

So, What do you think about this fashion statement?  Would you wear it?  Tell me what you guys think!

<3 Jamie …

Sweeney Todd Totally Looks Like Dave Vanian from The Damned

» Think you can do better? Make your own!

Pictures by: dunno source, dunno source Look-Alike by: Dagonseve via Totally Looks Like Builder

This is one of those songs that goes through many moods, all the while retaining the playful philosophical tone that the Doors always deliver. While at times morose and at others upbeat and jazzy, the song maintains a level of self-awareness that allows the band to flow freely between the different tones that this piece adopts and at times utter statements that are just ridiculous, but if interpreted postmodernly, make perfect sense. “Of course the monk got lunch, this is the soft parade!” Jim Morrison even has the balls to delineate which parts of the song he likes more than others. When listening to this song, you know that you are listening to a song, and the people performing the song aren’t telling you a story or telling you about their emotions, they are just putting on a performance that they hope you’ll enjoy.

There is an overall stability that asserts itself in the absurdity of the song. This steady absurd is established through the continuous stream of surreal imagery, coupled with a steady drumbeat. All the while, the guitar and the organ play off of each other and speak to the abstract irony that this song advocates. And I do believe it’s an advocacy. Being high makes you tumble into the jazzy music that is played by the guitar and organ. I think this song is especially good to listen to while high because you can get fully engulfed in the different moods that this song goes through. Also, being high allows you to not get as tied down to a specific details of the song and you sort of succumb yourself into being led along by the Doors.

If you want to listen to it, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XlqCFi6o-E

Am fost de curand la Harry Potter 6, dar highlight-ul serii mele a fost negresit reclama la Bruno!!! Take a look!

  Okay, I just had a hair cut like an hour ago, I haven’t even bathe yet. No, it’s not horrible or anything, no bald spot, no bleeding ear, all in all, no huge changes. But, the whole experience is just… wrong.

  My hair stylist, I mean, barber lives right behind of my house. I don’t get why we must use the term hair stylist for a female barber. It sounds so classy to say, “I have an appointment with my hair stylist”, but the fact is, it’s just RM15 for a hair cut. So what’s with the fancy name?

  Anyway, I walked to her house/hair saloon. I think that she’s a bit creepy. I mean, who wears high heels, wear tight clothes and put on thick make up when you’re at home? She looks more like a hooker than a barber, no offence. She tried to make polite conversation with me, but after a string of one-word answers, she got the hint and finally shut up.

  When I thought that I can finally get some peace and quiet, her kids came back home from a trip to somewhere. The 10-year-old boy flashed me his buttocks while the 6-year-old cried as if his ice-cream had hust fallen off the cone and onto the pavement. Or to call a spade a spade, an annoying high-pitch squeal. The 10-year-old kept repeating the words, “Happy House,” I can’t explain it, but I think that he’s a bit creepy for some reason. I mean, I thought kids are supposed to be cute and cuddly…

  The kids kept distracting her, and I have a feeling that she wants to just snip off my hair. But thank Buddha she didn’t. Although there were a few times she pulled my tangled-up hair too hard until I felt as if my head was being ripped away from my neck. 

  After a crucifying 30minutes, I left straight away. My hair scalp still tingles a bit from the torture, but there are no permanent damages, I think. Wow, I sure have some amazing hair scalps, maybe I should do a commercial for Loreal. One day when I become a famous model of a shampoo ad, I would be grateful to the hooker my hair stylist. XD

Well, after a couple weeks hiatus while setting up the new computer and importing bookmarks (all my VVW ones, especially), Viral Video Wednesday is back on.  And this week’s topic, per Maggie’s request, is:  Mash-ups.  A mash-up is when you take scenes from one move and add scenes or the audio from another movie to and make it one video as if they’d been from the same show.

So, here are my vids:

First up, in honor of his opening today, I thought a Harry Potter mash-up would be perfect.  It might not entirely qualify as a mash-up… it’s more of a parody, actually… but it takes characters from 3 movies and puts them together.

And here’s another Harry Potter mash-up, this time with Pride and Prejudice.  Does this count toward my Everything Austen Challenge?

What if Harry knew that he was just a fictional character?  That he was merely a figment of J. K. Rowling’s imagination and that all his suffering was merely a device to propel a story along?  Harry Potter, Stranger that Fiction…

Now, I hadn’t realized until I watched the following mash-up that Alan Rickman and Helena Bonham Carter were in both Sweeny Todd and Harry Potter, which of course makes this next vid worth sitting through someone camming their TV.

And finally, this is similar to one of the first mash-up type video I saw (the one I wanted had been removed, poo!), and has yummy Ioan Gruffudd in it.  It tells the story of the Founding Four of Hogwarts

There are thousands of mash-ups out there, if you search a movie title (usually a more popular one) and the word “mashup,” you’ll find plenty to choose from.

Now it’s your turn… What are some of your favorite mash-ups?

Next week’s VVW:  Commercials

Just days ago, images were released of Tim Burton’s upcoming flick Alice in Wonderland that is set to hit theatres March 5, 2010. So, in light of all the hubbub I decided to take a look back at all the wild characters these two have created together.

The relationship between Burton and Depp began with a pair of scissors in 1990. In Edward Scissorhands, Johnny Depp plays a troubled man who has problems communicating with the world and is isolated in a tower, not to mention he has scissors for hands. The movie is your classic boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, but boy can’t be with girl because boy may kill her.

Then in 1994 Depp conquered the role of Ed Wood, an aspiring filmmaker who likes to wear women’s clothing. Minus the fact that this was a box office bomb, Ed Wood really shows the beginning of Johnny Depp’s versatility as an actor. Playing a man who loves to dress in women’s clothing is quite a role to tackle, especially not looking half bad in a dress and wig.

Ichabob Crane, who is rumored to be a real person, was Johnny Depp’s next Burton role. The bromance continues as Depp depicts a constable from New York sent to the eerie town of Sleepy Hallow to solve the mystery murders and uncover the tale of the Headless Horseman.

The eclectic, off your rocker character Depp portrays as Willy Wonka is ingenious. In 2005 Johnny Depp pulled you into this fantasy world that is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The creepy smiles, bob haircut, and awkwardness build a whole new character we have never seen Depp adapt to before.

Corpse Bride came out within the same year as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and as the story goes, Burton puts a little twist on the wedding day of a nervous groom-to-be. Even this doom and gloom animated character resembles Johnny Depp and the various Tim Burton creations!

Who knew a skunk stripe could look so hot? Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street won Depp a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a musical or comedy in 2007 and gave him a chance to unveil those beautiful pipes of his.

The most recent collaboration between Burton and Depp is for the much hyped Alice in Wonderland. Johnny Depp is playing the Mad Hatter; a tailor made role for his versatile talent. Looks like another extreme role for Depp to wow us with.

As a means of blatant procrastination from my homework, I felt the need to write a blog entry. The last week was a blur, as were the previous weeks. On Monday I worked at my internship and spent the day finishing up and presenting my ideas for the company’s identity, then set to work on a website. It’s a ton of work, and I’m almost positive everyone else’s internships are much more low-key. That is completely fine with me however, I absolutely love the position I’m in.

The other day I had a conversation with one of my supervisors about international design. It was such an eye-opening experience! I had always thought good design, is good design, well that’s only partially true. Different cultures value design elements and principles very differently than the West and this is evident in their design preferences. I was so excited from the conversation I went to tell my roommates about it and was met with blank stares and boredom, I guess this subject is only interesting if you’re a designer, anyway I loved it!

Tuesday, Anna and I went out for a lovely English evening. We met up on Fleet Street for a dinner consisting of meat pies (beef, not human like Sweeny Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street) and mash with vegetables. Then we crossed the river Thames to the Globe Theatre to see As You Like It. It was hilarious and so, so, so, so, good! As with Romeo and Juliet, we stood on the floor as groundlings and almost got stepped on by the actors a few times. It was an amazing day, I was exhausted by the end but that’s somewhat of a theme for me here.

I am headed to Paris tomorrow! It is such an opportunity to be in Europe, let alone getting the chance to travel a bit. I’ll be there for the weekend and am going to try and see as much as possible. I’ve made a list and it seems feasible, however I don’t speak any French, so we’ll see. Anna speaks a little so we aren’t totally lost (well, she won’t be totally lost).

I should really get to this homework, I have about five papers to write for my internship class that are due next week. I just don’t understand the point of the class. I’m already learning so much from my work in my internship. All we talk about in the class are business practices that one should already know if he or she has EVER worked in a job before. I think it’s designed for students with internships where they don’t really do anything, like imputing data or making tea. I, however, am constantly busy and these assignments are mind-numbingly frustrating. I just have to suck-it-up and do it because ultimately my grades transfer and therefore affect my GPA.

Wow, my posts just keep getting longer and longer, just so much to say!

Rabbit Rabbit!

Fun Fact: Rabbit Rabbit according to Wikipedia: The exact origin of the superstition is unknown, though it has appeared in print at least as early as 1954. Today it has spread to most of the English-speaking countries of the world, although like all folklore, determining its exact area of distribution is difficult. This superstition is related to the broader belief in the rabbit or hare being a “lucky” animal, as exhibited in the practice of carrying a rabbits foot for luck. Some have also believed it is representing a jumping into the future and moving ahead with life and happiness.

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So it is about to be Monday…

Well not really its going to be Monday in 30minutes so I’m just going to go and start my blog now and add the video tomorrow after I upload it to youchoob. Welcome to the new AccioNerdfighter Blog! Something new and fun for everyone to enjoy and for people like Kuhi and Tamar who might have camera problems this summer. You guys can still do the blog. Cause all you need is internet access. So This is the new blog please on your day post a question and a challenge at the end of your blog so we know what to do for the next week. And you don’t have to answer the question or do the certain challenge in your video you can answer it in your blog!

Ok my question for everyone is what is your favorite part about being a nerdfighter?

My challenge for everyone is to find a song and relate it to Harry Potter and tell why you think its related to Harry Potter. It can not be wizard rock. It has to be normal rock.

DID EVERYONE SEE THE HARRY POTTER PREVIEW? OMG

I almost peeed in my pants. At that, I almost peed in my pants for Twilight, which won everything. I have to give mah props to Twilight though. New Moon is going to be amazing.

I just rememberd something important. Katt has seemed to dissapear and not return… We should start thinking about getting a new wednesday and a few Subbys for Friday and Thursday. Has anyone talked to Katt or Angela recently? They are both made of awesome and I’ll be really sad if they can’t do it any more. So yah lets think about new people or Subbys for the time being I know of some people who are intrested.

thats all for me! DFTBA!

your oh so lovely,

Emilie Lovette

I try not to curse on this blog but I thought today i’ll make an exception.

It was an all round shitty day.  I woke up very late, I had a crappy gym session which revealed how out of shape I truly am and Arsenal lost in the FA cup final.

Now granted, if Arsenal would have won, today would be a fantastic day. Funny how football will do that to you.

On the game itself, I think Chelsea just shaded it. I think Wenger got the selection wrong, Arsharvin should have been on that pitch. But if I was being damningly honest, I think Wenger was right to prioritise 4th place and the Champions League. With the injuries that we have had already this season, how would you have felt if Nasri and Arsharvin were not in the running to secure 4th spot, fellow gooners? If we did win the FA cup but finished 5th because of exhaustion and injuries, how would you have felt about our win? 4th spot and Champions League football is worth the FA Cup, lets be brutally honest.

On the bright side, I watched the disgustingly, neck wrenching brilliant Sweeny Todd today. After what I have been through with the Arsenal today. Its always a pleasent surprise to watch a demonic Johnny Depp slit throats with a barbers knife.

When my daughter was twelve or so we went on a date. I took her to Media Play, our long lamented favorite dead store. Then we went bowling. I think we may have grabbed some food along the way as well. We had a great time, although the bowling was very lame both because we sucked (and still do) and because the lanes themselves were ridiculous. I recall watching our balls roll in a manner that could only mean one of two things: we were incredibly gifted bowlers who had mastered getting the ball to curve more sharply than Ron Guidry’s slider (which according to the third sentence of this blog is as far from the truth as it is possible to place a statement) OR that the lanes were warped and twisted like the meandering hallways of Charles Manson’s mind.

Now my daughter is sixteen, and last night we went on another date. It was our insanely good fortune to have been blessed with a pair of tickets to see Sweeny Todd which rolled into Syracuse this week. We caught the final night of it’s three night stay.

There’s something immediately liberating about being given free tickets, especially in a situation like ours, wherein the tickets were given to the lady from whom my sister-in-law rents her hair salon booth. She gave them to my sister-in-law, who in turn called my wife offering them to her. She asked me if I’d like to take Mariah and I of course said yes. The freedom in this comes from a) not feeling guilty if something happens to prevent the date from coming off…at least there would be no sense of financial guilt, since my bread was not laid out for the purchase, b) should I decide the play totally stunk I wouldn’t feel like I’d wasted my money, since once again no V-bread was harmed in the making of this date.

As such we launched into the evening at 7 pm for a play with a 7:30 pm curtain. The complete lack of pressure made the drive pleasurable as we talked about all manner of things, none of which had anything to do with only having a half-hour to drive from our home to downtown Syracuse, getting off the interstate at one of the most congested exits and directly into the event traffic upon reaching the exit. The drive was remarkable only in that it was essentially unremarkable. We had parked downtown by 7:12, and were in our seats by 7:20. And because every venue in the universe generally doesn’t start until at least five minutes after the advertised start time, we had ample time to find and occupy our seats, and begin casing the joint; looking for people we might know, identifying potential laugh-mines, etc.

Thus it was that nothing occurred prior to the commencement of the performance to diminish our enjoyment.

And the news gets even better, as the performance was entirely enjoyable as well. The cast, inventively, was also the orchestra, as they played a huge variety of instruments which acting and singing. Perhaps the only tricky thing for me in the staging was a spacial condensation trick they used wherein whenever something occurred that would normally take place between to actors at a significant distance from one another on the stage, or perhaps at different z-coordinates, the direct interaction between the players was replaced by their looking forward into the the audience. This was not the case when they were close enough to one another, in which case they would interact normally. Even this wasn’t all the bad once you got used to it.

The quality of the acting, singing and playing was division one. There was not a weak performance in the 10-person cast, although I was particularly impressed by Merrit David Janes, who played Sweeny Todd, Carrie Cimma who played Mrs. Lovett and Chris Marcant who played Tobias.

My Baby.

Now having said all of that, (652 words worth if the WordPress word counter is to be believed), I must tell you that the best part of the whole evening was, by far, seeing how much my daughter enjoyed herself. It seems these days that more often than not our interactions are combative. We rarely have the chance to absolutely enjoy each other and whatever it is we’re doing. I guess it’s just part of her being sixteen and me being…slightly older than sixteen. I’m sure that when I was sixteen I was convinced that my parents were the most vile humans on the planet. Mariah doubtless feels the same way about me. It is the natural rhythm of the Cosmos.

It’s just nice to know that every now and then that rhythm can be disrupted, even if it’s by the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.