Cool stuffs

Check out this very cool Big Lebowski article. Also, here's an awesome music video for your viewing pleasure.

Stardust and Friday

I went to see an advanced screening of the movie Stardust a few days ago with my gentleman friend. And let me tell you, that is a good one. I left the theater feeling tremendously happy (and also very very hungry, which was not related to the film in any way). It had a little of that Princess Bride feel to it, with a better looking hero (wink!). Anyway, I dunno when this movie is actually going to be released, but I will definately go see it again. It also made me want to read the graphic novel, which is most likely even better than the movie. Note: If you like The Princess Bride, but you've never read the novel, you should remedy that situation. Its pretty awesome.

In other news, today is Friday, which means there are three new movies that I want to see. First up, The Simpsons Movie. Next, Rescue Dawn, which happens to feature two actors that I had crushes on before I really even knew what that meant. I loved Christian Bale in Little Women and Steven Zahn in That Thing You Do. And lastly, I'd like to see Sunshine. Freaking Danny Boyle AND Cillian Murphy? Its gotta be awesome. Also, there is a midnight showing of Super Troopers that I wouldn't mind catching. That movie is so freaking funny... Holy cow. Now the only question is, What do I see first?

Also, something I've been thinking about in the wake of the seventh Harry Potter: people who like spoilers. This is something I will never, ever understand. I loathe spoilers; I like to be surprised. Why else would you read interesting books or watch movies with twist endings? What is the appeal of spoilers, unless you're a great bullying jerk and like to ruin things for others? I dunno. However, I do know that the seventh book was beautiful and completely fantastic and a perfect ending to a phenomenal series. My favorite series.

Oh, I forgot. This is the first post I've made while sitting on the couch with my new laptop! Okay, so its not new, its a hand-me-down, but still. Its got wireless internet and a whole mess of awesomeness. High five!

Deathly Hallows

I am completely amazed at just how good the seventh book was. It was brilliant and beautiful and I loved every minute of it. It exceeded all my expectations, and I can't wait to start it again. (I finished it a few days ago; me ma borrowed my copy.) At this point, I can't help but feel a little bit of melancholy. I have lived with and loved this series, these characters for so long that it is hard to say goodbye. That completely wonderful ending helped a little, though. It must have been so hard for J.K. Rowling to write! Me and Alex were reminded of that part in Kill Bill: Vol. 2:

Budd: So, which "R" you filled with?
Elle Driver: What?
Budd: They say the number one killer of old people is retirement. People got 'em a job to do, they tend to live a little longer so they can do it. I've always figured warriors and their enemies share the same relationship. So, now you ain't gonna hafta face your enemy on the battlefield no more, which "R" are you filled with: Relief or Regret?
Elle Driver: A little bit of both.
Budd: Bullshit. I'm sure you do feel a little bit of both. But I know damn well you feel one more than you feel the other. The question was, which one?
Elle Driver: Regret.

So anyway. Deathly Hallows was incredible and I loved it entirely. I can't imagine a series coming out that I love this much, but I hope that maybe someday...

Tonight!

I'm so excited!

Is it just me...

Or does Bellatrix Lestrange look a lot like Amy Winehouse?



Hmmm...

There's no place I can be...

Only three days until Harry Potter comes to a close and I am so freaking excited... I'm getting a little nervous as well. I am a little sad to see my favorite series come to a close. Stephen King wrote this awesome little article on this feeling of melancholy that accompanies the conclusion of Harry Potter. I agree when he says, "When it comes to Harry, part of me — a fairly large part, actually — can hardly bear to say goodbye." Read the rest of the great article here. Sigh.

Also, two things I've been loving this week: Firefly and Hot Fuzz. First of all, Fox is a bastard station. They have cancelled so many incredibly awesome shows, the little jerks. I freaking love me some Firefly, and not just because I have the world's hugest crush on Nathan "Captain Tightpants" Fillion. Not that it hurts (wink!). I have even grown to love what is perhaps the worst television theme song ever spawned, the "Ballad of Serenity". Another sigh. As for Hot Fuzz, let me just say that if you haven't already seen it, go right now and remedy the situation, or shit's gonna get real. High five!

I Must Not Tell Lies

So I went to see Order of the Pheonix (Thou shalt spell the word “Phoenix” P-H-E-O-N-I-X, not P-H-O-E-N-I-X, regardless of what the Oxford English Dictionary tells you) last night at midnight, naturally. As for now, I will say that I really liked it. Not that it was without flaws, but it had some brilliant bits in it. For example: Umbridge was perfect. Truly and evilly awesome. Luna was really good. Bellatrix was spot-on. I loved the parts with Sirius, who is perhaps my favorite character of the series. I also loved his velvet blazers. Nice! However, at this point I'm so freaking excited for the seventh book that my little heart doesn't have room for much more.

Stephen King (who I am convinced is one of my kindred spirits) wrote this awesome column on what he called "pop dope," which you can find here. This man is brilliant. He writes about such awesomeness as BSG, The Ruins, and, of course, Harry Potter, saying, "These are the Quarter Pounders of the soul we're talking about, Big Macs of the mind, cheese fries of the imagination." Now that's what I'm talking about...

sigh...

So my post the other day got me to thinking about how horrible it is at the end of Pretty in Pink when Andie hooks up with Blane (that's a major appliance, that's not a name!). Even though I think Andie pretty much sucks throughout the movie, I still get huffy every time I think about that damn test audience that liked the Blane ending more than the Duckie ending. So, in honor of this injustice, I've been thinking of my top five movie romance injustices (in no order).... Drumroll please... (and spoilers abound, so be prepared)....

1. Pretty in Pink: I've said enough about this. However, why have we not seen the Duckie ending be released on DVD? Why?! Also, John Hughes pretty much remade this movie when he did Some Kind of Wonderful a year later. And this time, he got the ending right.


2. Waitress: What in the hell happened to mess up the ending of this movie? I was lovin' this one, every minute of it, with all its pie and southern folk. Then, Keri Russell's character (I think her name's Jenna) dumps the perfect man (my dream man) Nathan "Bill Pardy" Fillion. She leaves my favorite character high and dry and we never hear from his buns again. It was supposed to be a touching ending, with her loving her daughter and all, but the whole time I was wondering when Nathan Fillion would be back and when they would hook up again. They didn't. Needless to say, I was pissed! I loved this movie... except for the ending. Come on!


3. Before Sunrise/ Before Sunset: Unlike the rest of these movies, this one does not make me mad. The first film is my favorite of all time, hands down. The great injustice in this one is that, at the end of Before Sunrise, the two characters agree to meet again in six months. They do not exchange any information about each other. So, you can fill in the story based on what kind of person you are (like Jesse says in Before Sunset). If you are a romantic (like myself), you prefer to think that the two hooked up in six months, got married, and were completely and incandescently happy for the rest of their days. If you are a realist, you probably think, no way they got together, it didn't happen. Then, along came Before Sunset, set nine years after the first one. And you find out they didn't meet in Vienna. They haven't seen each other since. Of course, it ends beautifully and I love it entirely, but that moment when you know they didn't meet, that Jesse showed up and Celine didn't... man! Also, as a quick note, I hear from a lot of places that they prefer the sequel to the original, where I definately prefer the first one. I think it has to do with age. I'm sure that when I am older, I'll like the second one more. And if you haven't seen these, WATCH THEM! They are fantastic.
4. Twin Peaks: Holy crap. I know this is a television show and should technically not count, but hey. This is my list, and this is the HUGEST injustice on this list. The first season of this fantastic show set up an adorable romance between Audrey Horne and everyone's favorite coffee-swilling FBI man, Special Agent Dale Cooper. However, I heard that Kyle MacLachlan was dating stupid Lara Flynn Boyle by the end of the first season, and she objected to the storyline involving Sherilyn Fenn and her man. And since the show had been taken over at that point by lesser minds than that of David Lynch, they introduced characters played by Heather Graham and Billy Zane to romance Cooper and Audrey, respectively. Which was completely sucky. I loved the bits between Cooper and Audrey, and I thought they were perfect together. It wasn't until the David Lynch-controlled series finale that this storyline was even hinted at again. This botched romance was yet another example of how much better this show was when under Lynch's thumb. And Cooper is a babe. Had to be said.

Five coming soon...

1408 and other suck fests

So I recently went to see 1408 with my main squeeze and I did not dig it. I wasn't planning on seeing this one, as it had a truly sucky trailer, but it got good reviews and a friend recommended it. It did inspire me to think of the most distracting movie hairstyles:

#1: Andrew McCarthy's wig at the end of Pretty in Pink-- As if I needed more excuses to hate his guts and to think that he was unworthy of Andie.

#2: John Cusack in High Fidelity--The hair was yet another frustrating aspect of a movie that could have been incredible, but simply ended up just being kinda good.

#3: Crappy sci-fi movies-- Think about a movie that wants to look futuristic, then think about the hairstyles. Yikes... Some that come to mind are The Fifth Element, Back to the Future: Part 2...

#4: Toby Maguire in Spider Man 3-- His emo hair (bangs down, covering his pouty, eyeliner-heavy stare) made me want to slap someone and go watch Evil Dead to feel better about Sam Raimi.

#5: John Cusack in 1408-- Why, John Cusack, why?

Anyway, I think the best way to describe 1408 is by saying it is tedious. It has some spooky moments, but the whole movie drags. And the false ending was super-sucky. However, I did like that Samuel L. got a chance to utter his favorite profanity in this otherwise-tame movie.

This weekend I also went to a murder mystery dinner and realized that at some point I have become pretty freaking anti-social. I lack the ability to make meaningless small talk. I'm gonna have to work on that. Anyway, I think I'm gonna go drink another Coke and burn my way through some more of the fifth Harry Potter number. Less than twenty days away! I'm so excited!