The important thing is, I'm meeting new people
INTJ
Catharsis is my favorite feeling.
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slytherinblooded asked: No, its your reply on my post that twisted the words into racial slurs. But whatever, you obviously can't respect my wishes as a person coming to you and asking you to stop doing something because its making me uncomfortable.
You know that makes me uncomfortable? You know what I live with everyday?
RACISM!I can and will react and respond to behavior that not only...
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I’m going to have to leave this child alone. She’s just not getting it and I don’t have the time for any more nonsense.
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Three Years With Bailey
I love my dog. Remembering it was the 3rd anniversary of Bailey coming into our lives I watched him snoozing in the...
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Jacquard Woven Glitch Blanket design DCP_2994 (Edition 3 of 5) installed in its new home in SoHo as a wall hanging.
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Libertine (UK)
There’s a new mag in town. Libertine Magazine: “For Interested Women”
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Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Rupert Wyatt
I hope that people will end up considering this to be one of the great blockbusters; I think it’s worthy of inclusion.
The main difference between this and Die Hard, Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, etc. is what I think is a larger trend in today’s movies (according to my totally unscientific survey of the movies of today and yesterday) - a lack of a sense of fun. It’s a fairly dark and serious story, and the moments of exhilaration are few. Like, why so serious, for real.
But those moments of exhilaration - when Caesar is able to experience the freedom of the world around him - provide a perfect contrast to the film’s themes of confinement - by cages, by deteriorating minds, by commercial science. They more than make up for the no-humor approach.
And there are moments of true emotional connection (with CGI apes no less!) that send chills down my spine. I think that this is the biggest success of the film.
I love this screenplay, I love the way the writers created this origin story, and it’s weirdly one of my favorite recent movies.
#182 - 9/1/2012
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) James Cameron
What an exhilarating surprise. I know I had seen this before, but I didn’t remember much (if you are thinking I have a horrible memory, you are correct). I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen the first. A lot of this type of picture has gone out of vogue, but I think it’s certainly still worth watching. It’s got outrageous action, it’s got lots of cheesy humor, it’s got thrills that made me physically lean away from the screen, it’s got the governator…what else do you need?
I love these 80s/90s screenplays where everything has a reason for being (I’m thinking Jurassic Park, Die Hard, etc.) - they’re a lot of fun, in a roll-your-eyes-but-still-smile kind of way. There’s something very charming about it. Certainly cheesy, but charming.
Linda Hamilton is one badass motherfucker. Not the greatest actress, but her arms are insane. There’s a great scene where Sarah Conner attacks with a stick, and there’s a split second white frame during the POV shot that’s just great.
I thought the almost horror movie kills were pretty interesting. Robert Patrick as the T-1000 is totally frightening, and the music that plays as his theme is absolutely fantastic. I think that might have been my favorite part.
Overall, super fun.
#166 7/25/2012
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) Brad Bird
The first time I watched M:I-GP, I saw it in the theatre, in IMAX, and it pretty much blew my socks off (seriously, it was really loud - but I also really really enjoyed it). I enjoyed it so much that I just bought the Blu-ray.
I thought it held up really really well, and even though there were complaints that the IMAX sequences weren’t expanded to a 16:9 aspect ratio, it still looked fucking ridiculous.
And even though I laughed more at how ridiculous it is, and the ridiculous product placement, I still really enjoyed it, and do not regret buying it. It’s just really overall a ridiculous movie, in a good way I think. I also liked the making-of special features of shooting on the Burj and of the final parking garage sequence. I find that knowing more about how stunts are performed and how effects are created increases my enjoyment of a movie like this.
One question though - do all of the Mission: Impossible credits sequences show the entire movie? I thought it was a really weird approach, if not.
#151 - 7/2/2012
X-Men First Class (2011) Matthew Vaughn
This lost some of the magic for me on a re-watch. Of course, everything about Erik/Magneto is just stellar - Fassbender, who plays him; McAvoy and Bacon, who play off Fassbender, and whose characters are intertwined with his (metaphorically! dream on, slashfic’ers!); and the really good, deep development of the character.
But the suave coolness of fab mod X-Men wore off, and I mostly found myself wondering why the rest of the mutants included were so lame (exceptions: Banshee, Darwin) or portrayed so poorly (examples: Emma Frost, Angel) or so awfully clad in matching sweatsuits (I hated that montage).
Overall, still good fun, but I’ve moved the Blu-Ray way down in my wish list.
#103 - 5/25/2012
The Avengers (2012) Joss Whedon
The Avengers is not a perfect movie, but it is a great instance of its type of movie, and I still loved it.
I could probably watch endless iterations with this cast and Joss Whedon. It definitely had its problems, but I had such great fun while I was watching that it was quite a long time before I could recognize its faults - the post-movie aura was really strong. From the little I’ve heard, it seems like a real feat that it turned out as well as it did given the circumstances. It would have been neat if Whedon had had the reins from the start (the real start). I’d love to see him do another.
And I, like every other person, now want a Ruffalo Hulk stand-alone.
Now I wish there were an easy way to go back and look at four weeks worth of reviews and tumblr posts I so successfully ignored for four weeks.
#98 - 5/19/2012
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) Brett Ratner
Ugh. I’m like two weeks behind on my reviews, partly because I’ve been away for a whole week, and partly because I don’t want to write anything about this movie for fear of ridicule.
I like it. I maybe really like it. I think it’s totally not bad. Yes, I know that pretty much everything about the film is weak - the characters are bare outlines, the acting isn’t great, and the story seems smashed together and clumsy - but I saw it in the theatre, couldn’t believe how fast the time flew by, and was very entertained. This time, I put it on to have something in the background while doing laundry, so it was serviceable for that purpose.
I also don’t believe that liking this movie means that you can’t be a true comics fan (or a true movie lover). Yes, I am a fairly recent comics reader. I have not read the Dark Phoenix saga, but I have read Whedon’s run with the Gifted arc. But I love the X-Men (I’m even currently reading 4 X titles). Ever since stumbling upon the animated series as a child, I have loved the X-Men and what they stand for. The movies will never touch the complexity of characters that are developed over decades (OMG Colossus). Shit, I don’t even think Nolan’s Batman even really scratches the surface of the complexity of that character. Of course this movie could have been better, but I still think it’s pretty fine as it stands.
So there. It had been a while since my last viewing, and I don’t really love it anymore, but I will still probably pop it in the DVD player, some future Saturday while doing laundry.
#89 - 4/28/2012
John Carter (2012) Andrew Stanton
I went to see this because fuck you, Disney, girls won’t go to see a movie about Mars.
I think this movie had a really good chance. I really liked it overall, I was surprised by how funny it was, I loved that alien dog thing, and I was a fan of the strong smart warrior princess character. They did a good job of world-building, and the special effects looked good. I could sort of take or leave the two leads, they were alright. Overall it was a good, fun, Sunday matinee.
But I could see how maybe it was overly focus grouped; I’m not wise in the ways of romance movies, but the love story didn’t need so much labor. It also seemed like there was additional exposition added for those confused focus groupees.
#66 - 3/25/2012
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Rupert Wyatt
Although I laughed when I saw the previews in the theatre, thinking it would be terrible, I was really astonished by how good this movie was, and I don’t think it was solely a case of low expectations. Probably the most emotionally satisfied I’ve felt from a movie lately, without feeling like I was being manipulated. Andy Serkis does something remarkable, and I didn’t even mind James Franco (whaaaaa). Definitely a blockbuster, but a blockbuster with some brains and some sincere heart.
#23 - 1/29/2012
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol: The IMAX Experience (2011) Brad Bird
Maybe it was just the IMAX, but I feel like this was probably the best action movie I have ever seen. From the opening sequence pretty much until almost the end (could have done without the cheesy meetup), it doesn’t stop. It managed to succeed in the way the best animated films succeed - in capturing my complete and total suspension of disbelief, even in self-aware or joking moments. And it was just so much fucking fun.
#14 - 1/16/2012
Star Trek (2009) Dir. J.J. Abrams
I think I actually liked this more the second time around. I really can’t wait for the next and hope it’s just as good, if not better (it could really do with a better plot).
#4 - 1/5/2012
