who invited the elephant!?

it's been one of those weeks.

you know what i'm talking about-- a giant clusterfuck of papers, exams, show deadlines, events, new friends, old friends, whose friends? your friends!

... sigh...

i don't know much, but i do know that episode 3 is done and delivered, classes are still floating down clutch creek, and the weekend is upon us. all i have to do now is run the projector tonight at park library for cmu's film festival, make my brother regret visiting tomorrow, and maybe... just maybe... get a little shut eye.

til next time fellow colleagues of this silly spinning experiment.

garfield minus... sanity? and other ramblings!!

check this out. if you're anything like me, you'll love it:

garfield minus garfield!!!

i showed batgirl this for the first time tonight, and she said the following:

"he's so sad... i just want to give jon a hug..." :(

seriously, the site is ingenious and incredibly entertaining.

on a side note: 'alice' from 1988 is a TRIP!!! give it a shot-- it's on netflix, and it's amazing!!?!?! we've been watching various interpre-carnations of 'alice in wonderland' lately (it has to do with me lady's thesis), and this was by far the most interesting one (in my opinion :)). the film was often awkward, and always unsettling. once again-- give it a shot.

on a further side note, the third episode of the show i produce ('mi road trip with dom fracassa') will be finished in about 48 hours time. the season should be online very soon, and i'll be sure to share the link when it happens!!!

in conclusion, take a glance at 'garfield minus garfield', watch 'alice' (1988) with a buddy (maybe even high!?!(i can't officially condone that!)), and soon enough i'll share the link to 'mi road trip with dom fracassa'!!!

ps. this week's ironic link! i feel like this sign was poorly positioned...

sham-a-lam-a-ding-dong?

sigh...

at work, and a tad tired. going to be a looooong week my friends-- i sure could use a red hooded sweatshirt.

one of the many things i gotz 2 do this week is choose a topic for my coen bros. films class analytical paper. should i...

- justify 'crimewave' as a coen bros. film worth discussing and ultimately including in their repertoire
- do a semiotics analysis of 'barton fink'
or...
- find any reason to talk about 'o brother where art thou'?

what are your thoughts!?

is 'precious' the feel good movie of the year?

well, this is unprecedented-- made it to the movies for the third time this semester

2nd in a couple weeks, in fact! so, yeah!! take this review as you will!!!

the film was actually a surprising joy. now, don't get me wrong-- the film is chock full of uncomfortably awkward moments of intense and often graphic abuse, and it does include some imagery that is possibly too vulgar for some. but while these facts are clearly evident, so are the joys that come through the story devices in play.

each time 'precious' endures significant pain, she copes by day-dreaming; you know-- of "fame & fortune" and the like. admittedly, this isn't exactly a novel idea and, if handled incorrectly, could turn out sappy or (even worse) corny. however, lee daniels pulls it off here. the dream sequences are well-shot, well-choreographed, and book-ended with effective transitions. in short, they are never jarring, unwarranted, or (most importantly?) hokey.

the performances range from good to great, so you're safe there. don't worry-- you won't be taken out of the film on account of any glen campbell's ('true grit', anyone?). is there anything here we haven't seen before? probably not, but at least it doesn't try to stay painfully safe ('freedom writers' anyone?). quite the opposite, actually...

there is one possibly "legitimate" complaint that i've heard floating in the wispy winds, and i would actually like to address it specifically. some might feel nothing is accomplished at the end of the film. that there is no victory to be had. hmmm... is this true? well, i don't want to give anything away so here's my attempt at a vague yet potent response through a hopefully thought-provoking question:

if you ensure the mere possibility of success for others, is your own failure truly categorized as such?

sometimes, victory isn't found in the glory of oneself but in the light of others. sometimes, you just need to break the cycle. sometimes... the flirting hint of dawn is enough.

in the end, your response to 'precious' is probably similar to your response to that age-old question: is the glass half-empty? or half-full?

ok... maybe that wasn't vague. either way, you be the judge on 'precious'.

ps. back by popular demand! ironic links!! this week's ironic link... VICTORY in DISCOVERY?!? (pretty damn funny in my opinion!)

Captain America cast?!?!

WELL! it looks as if chris evans will be donning a pair of super tights yet again! or maybe... he won't?

check it out-- http://movies.ign.com/articles/107/1078888p1.html

who knows? but, i sure hope evans is just pushing for a bigger deal, and not actually thinking about skipping out on this because i'd love to see chris get that big role that makes him a house-hold name.

yeah.. yeah.. i know what you're thinking! i've got a man crush!!.. well.. it's possible.

other possible kevin man crushes:
- george clooney (confirmed)
- bruce campbell (without a doubt)
- bruce willis (only when he's sneaking about the nakatomi plaza)
- ryan reynolds (debatable)
- mark ruffalo (probably)

ps. if you've been paying attention, you would ask why i capitalized the title of this post (since i don't believe in it). well... fuck off! i'm sorry. i'm sorry. i capitalize out of respect when necessary.

pss. there's a hidden ironic link in here... can you find it? :)

grande inspiration!!!

the following was inspired by the very beautiful, the very fun, the very lively_linds! i very much enjoyed 'an ode to the fruit fly'.

ode to la potato chip..

oh, ye delightfully baked (not 1, but 2!)
ruffles chip!
how you dance your dance (as truffles do!)
across my lip!
careful now-- for if your balance is not true
you may soon slip!..

and be no more than forgotten poo,
after that stinky, one-way trip!

:) thank you and goodnight

'alice in wonderland'... wonderless

ok, so i'm a bit of an avid movie-goer.

problem is, during the semester (especially this one (19 credit hours(*WTF!?))) i only get to the local silver screen so often...

NOW! of course when i do get out, there's a lot riding on it. so my opinions get inflated-- ie. a 6 will become a 3, a 9 will get cranked to 11, and so on; in case you're confused: sadness always magnifies at a higher rate than enlightenment..

so we up to speed? good. here's the story/review/thing-a-ma-bob:

went and saw 'alice in wonderland' with the lady over break. now, i don't find the title of this post to be particularly deceiving (or clever for that matter) so i'm sure you all figured out that i didn't dig it.

it was ho-hum at best, a 5 out of 10...

BUT! it's only the 2nd movie i've been able to see this semester, so i'm giving it a 2.25 out of 15 (don't ask me to explain that rating!!). yes, the graphics were fun. yes, all the old cats we've adored for all these years were back. helena bonham carter was fantastic. however, the story was presented with no real... gusto? care? love? particular excitement? i don't know-- it just wasn't very good.

depp was shitty, and had far too much screen time. hathaway had angry caterpillars on her face. the 3d effects were underwhelming. the climax was unengaging (apparently not a real word. who knew?). the last 5 minutes were preposterous. and the billing as a "sequel" was a complete farce!

2/3rds through, alice glances about and says "oh, wait-- i HAVE been here before!"... this is followed by a 2 minute flashback in which we see young alice hanging out... THAT'S IT!??! **WTF!!! no offense burton, but that doesn't really qualify! for the love of god, rediscover whatever it is you had back in the 80s. because your past few efforts are shit.

as always, if you enjoyed it-- that's swell! but i didn't.

thankfully my lovely g/f paid cuz i'm a bum :-]

* an acronym, in the parlance of our times, that translates as "what the fuck" :)

** once again, translates as "what the fuck" (but with more energy)