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talkingsoupFunniest two seconds EVER. Found on SEB
My job starts this Saturday--I go in at 11 for training to a store in Livermore. I finally got around to buying khaki pants at the mall yesterday. Also picked up some tank tops since I have about none. Also got another game for the DS--something called Trace Memory which looked interesting. I seriously considered getting Phoenix Wright, but I think I'm gonna hold off on that one until my job is underway. I already broke my rule and bought two other games--though both were for GBA so they were less expensive.
Went to the sushi place up the road earlier today with Liz, then we went hot tubbing. Pretty much all I've done all day, but oh well.
Still haven't figured out what to do about the 100 Themes Challenge. It also occurred to me that even if I start now there's no way in hell I'll finish before the end of summer--so I think I'll lower my summer goal to something like 25 or something reasonable like that. There's also my own stuff and the fic to think about.
And anyway, here's some movie reviews for you.
My Neighbor Totoro
Another Miyazaki I can scratch off my list. This one felt a lot different than all his other ones, at least the ones I've seen. All his movies have a really strong central storyline, but Totoro didn't really. I suppose maybe because it's more geared toward children? Though I dunno. It had all the other basic Miyazaki trademarks--beautiful drawings and landscapes, great characters, and cute fuzzy things, but no real storyline.
The movie is about this little family that moves out to the countryside, to a rundown house that seems to be slightly haunted. The main characters are these two little girls, Satsuki and Mei. Their father is some kind of professor type, I think, and their mother is sick in the hospital. One day Mei follows a small fuzzy spirity thing that looks like a blue bunny, and she ends up meting an even bigger fuzzy spirity thing that she dubs Totoro. The girls have all kinds of adventures with Totoro and his smaller companions, and the fuzzy guys help them to deal with their mother's illness.
Like any other Miyazaki movie, the visuals are absolutely stunning. He has a knack for creating the most beautiful countrysides, and he goes all out in this one. Not quite on the same level as Mononoke or Spirited Away, buy yeah. The giant camphor tree in the girls' backyard is really something.
Totoro also has a cuteness factor that isn't entirely there in the other movies. That's not to say that the others aren't cute, but they don't have a heavy reliance on cuteness. With this one--I mean, you can't really have a giant fuzzy Totoro running around without major cuteness.
Although it also has that characteristic Miyazaki cute-weirdness. Has anyone noticed that? Anytime he drops something cute into his movies, they're also really weird. I mean, the Kodama? The cat bus? Weird.
It's also a really sweet movie, the kind you'd watch to cheer yourself up. But I still kind of wish it had a stronger storyline.
Not much else to say, really. It's a really simple, pretty, adorable movie.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
I don't even know what I have anymore. At first I thought it was allergies, then I thought it was a sinus infection, but now I'm coughing and generally feel horrible. Fuck.
Bee Season
This one has been on my to-see list for a long time. It's another Fox Searchlight movie, and I tend to trust them when it comes to movies. This one also turned out to be pretty good.
The movie is about a young girl who is really good at spelling because she can see the words. Her mother's a scientist and seems to be a strange sort, always going into strange houses and taking things. Her father is a professor of the Kabbal and is a control freak who is trying to vicariously reach God through his children. Her brother is your average kid, and until she starts doing well in spelling bees, was the favorite kid. Once her dad finds out that she's a brilliant speller he comes to believe that she's in some way touching God through it, because she sees the word. It's a movie about the power of words and how they can change everything.
This movie is really quite awesome, but it's also really...I don't know. It's one of those movies where you can feel something else happening under the surface, and you don't notice it, but you can sense it once the movie is over. There's this kind of beautiful, subtle quality going on, emphasized by the absolutely amazing camera work. It's also an incredible study of the characters--I mean, all of them are so incredibly three dimensional. You get a deep look into the mother's emotional problems and the reasons she is the way she is; you get a look into the brother's drive to find something important in his life, which leads him to join what I think was the Hare Krishnas; you get a look into the father's life and see why he's so desperate for God; and you get a look at the girl's life, why she loves spelling, and how she interacts with her family.
It's really a beautiful movie, when all is said and done. There's a scene near the end that I don't want to give away--but it's when the truth about the mother's condition comes out and you find out what she's been doing with all the things she's stolen, and it's...it's just the most beautiful scene ever. There are some scenes in movies that just steal your breath, you know? I can think of a few in RotK, but not many other movies, and this scene did it.
But something also seems to be missing. It might just be that this is the kind of movie you need to watch more than once. And I should probably read the book. But I got the feeling at the end that I had missed or overlooked something important. At the end you're left with a feeling you can't really put a name too, but you feel largely satisfied, and you can see how everything preceding has led up to this moment. Which is how an ending is supposed to be.
A very good movie overall, and absolutely stunning. And the girl who was Ellie the main character was a surprisingly good actor for her age.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
Jules, sorry I didn't get on AIM today--I'll be on probably all day tomorrow, though.
Oh, I got my license back. Apparently someone found it at a Post Office in San Francisco and sent it here. Go figure.
My job starts this Saturday--I go in at 11 for training to a store in Livermore. I finally got around to buying khaki pants at the mall yesterday. Also picked up some tank tops since I have about none. Also got another game for the DS--something called Trace Memory which looked interesting. I seriously considered getting Phoenix Wright, but I think I'm gonna hold off on that one until my job is underway. I already broke my rule and bought two other games--though both were for GBA so they were less expensive.
Went to the sushi place up the road earlier today with Liz, then we went hot tubbing. Pretty much all I've done all day, but oh well.
Still haven't figured out what to do about the 100 Themes Challenge. It also occurred to me that even if I start now there's no way in hell I'll finish before the end of summer--so I think I'll lower my summer goal to something like 25 or something reasonable like that. There's also my own stuff and the fic to think about.
And anyway, here's some movie reviews for you.
My Neighbor Totoro
Another Miyazaki I can scratch off my list. This one felt a lot different than all his other ones, at least the ones I've seen. All his movies have a really strong central storyline, but Totoro didn't really. I suppose maybe because it's more geared toward children? Though I dunno. It had all the other basic Miyazaki trademarks--beautiful drawings and landscapes, great characters, and cute fuzzy things, but no real storyline.
The movie is about this little family that moves out to the countryside, to a rundown house that seems to be slightly haunted. The main characters are these two little girls, Satsuki and Mei. Their father is some kind of professor type, I think, and their mother is sick in the hospital. One day Mei follows a small fuzzy spirity thing that looks like a blue bunny, and she ends up meting an even bigger fuzzy spirity thing that she dubs Totoro. The girls have all kinds of adventures with Totoro and his smaller companions, and the fuzzy guys help them to deal with their mother's illness.
Like any other Miyazaki movie, the visuals are absolutely stunning. He has a knack for creating the most beautiful countrysides, and he goes all out in this one. Not quite on the same level as Mononoke or Spirited Away, buy yeah. The giant camphor tree in the girls' backyard is really something.
Totoro also has a cuteness factor that isn't entirely there in the other movies. That's not to say that the others aren't cute, but they don't have a heavy reliance on cuteness. With this one--I mean, you can't really have a giant fuzzy Totoro running around without major cuteness.
Although it also has that characteristic Miyazaki cute-weirdness. Has anyone noticed that? Anytime he drops something cute into his movies, they're also really weird. I mean, the Kodama? The cat bus? Weird.
It's also a really sweet movie, the kind you'd watch to cheer yourself up. But I still kind of wish it had a stronger storyline.
Not much else to say, really. It's a really simple, pretty, adorable movie.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
I don't even know what I have anymore. At first I thought it was allergies, then I thought it was a sinus infection, but now I'm coughing and generally feel horrible. Fuck.
Bee Season
This one has been on my to-see list for a long time. It's another Fox Searchlight movie, and I tend to trust them when it comes to movies. This one also turned out to be pretty good.
The movie is about a young girl who is really good at spelling because she can see the words. Her mother's a scientist and seems to be a strange sort, always going into strange houses and taking things. Her father is a professor of the Kabbal and is a control freak who is trying to vicariously reach God through his children. Her brother is your average kid, and until she starts doing well in spelling bees, was the favorite kid. Once her dad finds out that she's a brilliant speller he comes to believe that she's in some way touching God through it, because she sees the word. It's a movie about the power of words and how they can change everything.
This movie is really quite awesome, but it's also really...I don't know. It's one of those movies where you can feel something else happening under the surface, and you don't notice it, but you can sense it once the movie is over. There's this kind of beautiful, subtle quality going on, emphasized by the absolutely amazing camera work. It's also an incredible study of the characters--I mean, all of them are so incredibly three dimensional. You get a deep look into the mother's emotional problems and the reasons she is the way she is; you get a look into the brother's drive to find something important in his life, which leads him to join what I think was the Hare Krishnas; you get a look into the father's life and see why he's so desperate for God; and you get a look at the girl's life, why she loves spelling, and how she interacts with her family.
It's really a beautiful movie, when all is said and done. There's a scene near the end that I don't want to give away--but it's when the truth about the mother's condition comes out and you find out what she's been doing with all the things she's stolen, and it's...it's just the most beautiful scene ever. There are some scenes in movies that just steal your breath, you know? I can think of a few in RotK, but not many other movies, and this scene did it.
But something also seems to be missing. It might just be that this is the kind of movie you need to watch more than once. And I should probably read the book. But I got the feeling at the end that I had missed or overlooked something important. At the end you're left with a feeling you can't really put a name too, but you feel largely satisfied, and you can see how everything preceding has led up to this moment. Which is how an ending is supposed to be.
A very good movie overall, and absolutely stunning. And the girl who was Ellie the main character was a surprisingly good actor for her age.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
Jules, sorry I didn't get on AIM today--I'll be on probably all day tomorrow, though.
Oh, I got my license back. Apparently someone found it at a Post Office in San Francisco and sent it here. Go figure.
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no subject
Date: 2007-06-22 06:07 pm (UTC)It's okay, I didn't get on either--I was busy reading/plotting/being delighted because I figured out something in the plot that was going to seriously muck things up if I couldn't sort it out.
I will start the fic chapter today! I will! I am determined to have it up by Sunday! >.<
no subject
Date: 2007-06-23 04:15 am (UTC)Oh, no problem--plotting and whatnot totally take precedence over AIM any day. Just wish I was figuring things out in my own stuff XD
Woot!!