If I were asked why I haven't been blogging, I could quite honestly say I don't know. Its not that I've been too lazy, because [this time] that really is not the problem. Its not even that I've been (as I can often be) apathetic to it all; there have been many moments in the past few days that I would have liked to record. But, invariably, as a result of letting it go, I can't remember them all now.
Good things have been happening to me lately. I went shopping with my mom after a day when I was feeling a bit... depressed, and boy, there's nothing like retail therapy to restore a girl's spirits. I went to the capitalist paradise that is G.K I M-Block market after ages and ages, and God, was it fun. (Of course, this trip to G.K means I don't want to look at me bank account anymore.) Anyway, I spent ages ooh-ing and aah-ing over the new Puma store (Yay!) and a surprisingly affordable Espirit rust cord jacket (which I didn't buy) and an equally surprisingly unaffordable gorgeous Benetton claret velvety jacket (which, needless to say, I also didn't buy).
Another point of great joy on the day was the purchase of two First Editions, one Graham Greene's The Human Factor and the other was Empire by Gore Vidal. While in the bookstore looking over publication histories, I noticed some of the declarations signed in these books. It's hard to describe what I feel every time I think about that (flashbacks to Serendipity notwithstanding), but I think a sense of nostalgia and history is probably accurate. It felt as if I were holding someone's dreams in my hands, and it made me happy and sad and proud all at once. The yellowed pages, the words written... the Love, Jacinda (or whoever) ... they're a part of someone's memories. Nothing but a book can inspire that kind of emotional connection to a complete stranger, in my opinion.
I have also been watching a movie a day. So much better than having to eat an apple! Anyhow, in the past week or so, I have watched these films: Scoop!, John Tucker Must Die, The Break Up, The Interpreter, In Her Shoes, Equilibrium. With the exception of In Her Shoes, they were all crap. I was especially disappointed by Scoop! which was so bad that even Hugh Jackman couldn't make up for the awfulness. What I really disliked about the film was that Woody Allen couldn't resist inserting himself into the film yet again, and his routine is really unfunny now. Equilibrium, with Christian Bale, was not so much awful as a mish-mash of every seminal SF film over the last 20-30 years. One would be far better off watching the stuff that patently 'inspired' this film, from 1984 to Blade Runner.
Since most of my favorite shows are on hiatus, I'm going to now catch up on other stuff, what everyone swears is fabulous but for some reason or other, I haven't gotten around to it. (Yes, A, I'm talking about the Wire). Also, the arc finale for Veronica Mars means t my love for Logan has reached unhealthy heights now. Sigh...if ONLY he were real!
ETA: I realized I hadn't said anything at all about my absolute anger at PVR for first raising my hopes with a 'Next Change' for the Prestige, and then cruelly deciding to not release it.
Secondly, I have yet to express my views on both The Departed and Casino Royale. I thought the Departed was toe-curlingly good. I haven't been blown away like this at all this year. I also love Scorcese for his use of Puccini. For a review, read this piece, which I [mostly] agree with. A disclaimer: I certainly do not share the love for The Aviator or Gangs of New York.
I watched Casino Royale right after the Departed, which might be why I didn't like it as much as the rest of the world seemed to. However I saw it a second time and it did improve on repeat viewing, but I still don't understand the fuss. My gripe then, and now, is that were it not a James Bond movie, if the protagonist was called Jeremy Smith instead, we would dismiss it as a decent thriller, nothing more, nothing less. And while I was never someone who had a problem with the casting of Daniel Craig as Bond (I love his eyes, so cold and blue) I don't believe he is right for future Bond films. He was good in this movie, no doubt, but I can't see him doing suave as well as he did the thug. I keep thinking someone like Hugh Jackman, who can effortlessly do both (Wolverine, anybody?) would have been a better choice. Things I loved about the movie however, were the opening sequence (which made me visualize a Bond film filmed in black-and-white, nearly causing me to asphyxiate with excitement) and the credit sequence (even though the song was well below-par). The parkour-with-things-exploding-alongside was considerably less adrenaline-thumping that many other parkour sequences seen even on TV (Top Gear).
BTW, I also watched Dhoom 2, in which I lusted after Hrithik Roshan for the first time ever. High on style, low on plot, it was nonetheless a fun film with equal opportunity oogling. As the NY Times put it:
Good things have been happening to me lately. I went shopping with my mom after a day when I was feeling a bit... depressed, and boy, there's nothing like retail therapy to restore a girl's spirits. I went to the capitalist paradise that is G.K I M-Block market after ages and ages, and God, was it fun. (Of course, this trip to G.K means I don't want to look at me bank account anymore.) Anyway, I spent ages ooh-ing and aah-ing over the new Puma store (Yay!) and a surprisingly affordable Espirit rust cord jacket (which I didn't buy) and an equally surprisingly unaffordable gorgeous Benetton claret velvety jacket (which, needless to say, I also didn't buy).
Another point of great joy on the day was the purchase of two First Editions, one Graham Greene's The Human Factor and the other was Empire by Gore Vidal. While in the bookstore looking over publication histories, I noticed some of the declarations signed in these books. It's hard to describe what I feel every time I think about that (flashbacks to Serendipity notwithstanding), but I think a sense of nostalgia and history is probably accurate. It felt as if I were holding someone's dreams in my hands, and it made me happy and sad and proud all at once. The yellowed pages, the words written... the Love, Jacinda (or whoever) ... they're a part of someone's memories. Nothing but a book can inspire that kind of emotional connection to a complete stranger, in my opinion.
I have also been watching a movie a day. So much better than having to eat an apple! Anyhow, in the past week or so, I have watched these films: Scoop!, John Tucker Must Die, The Break Up, The Interpreter, In Her Shoes, Equilibrium. With the exception of In Her Shoes, they were all crap. I was especially disappointed by Scoop! which was so bad that even Hugh Jackman couldn't make up for the awfulness. What I really disliked about the film was that Woody Allen couldn't resist inserting himself into the film yet again, and his routine is really unfunny now. Equilibrium, with Christian Bale, was not so much awful as a mish-mash of every seminal SF film over the last 20-30 years. One would be far better off watching the stuff that patently 'inspired' this film, from 1984 to Blade Runner.
Since most of my favorite shows are on hiatus, I'm going to now catch up on other stuff, what everyone swears is fabulous but for some reason or other, I haven't gotten around to it. (Yes, A, I'm talking about the Wire). Also, the arc finale for Veronica Mars means t my love for Logan has reached unhealthy heights now. Sigh...if ONLY he were real!
ETA: I realized I hadn't said anything at all about my absolute anger at PVR for first raising my hopes with a 'Next Change' for the Prestige, and then cruelly deciding to not release it.
Secondly, I have yet to express my views on both The Departed and Casino Royale. I thought the Departed was toe-curlingly good. I haven't been blown away like this at all this year. I also love Scorcese for his use of Puccini. For a review, read this piece, which I [mostly] agree with. A disclaimer: I certainly do not share the love for The Aviator or Gangs of New York.
I watched Casino Royale right after the Departed, which might be why I didn't like it as much as the rest of the world seemed to. However I saw it a second time and it did improve on repeat viewing, but I still don't understand the fuss. My gripe then, and now, is that were it not a James Bond movie, if the protagonist was called Jeremy Smith instead, we would dismiss it as a decent thriller, nothing more, nothing less. And while I was never someone who had a problem with the casting of Daniel Craig as Bond (I love his eyes, so cold and blue) I don't believe he is right for future Bond films. He was good in this movie, no doubt, but I can't see him doing suave as well as he did the thug. I keep thinking someone like Hugh Jackman, who can effortlessly do both (Wolverine, anybody?) would have been a better choice. Things I loved about the movie however, were the opening sequence (which made me visualize a Bond film filmed in black-and-white, nearly causing me to asphyxiate with excitement) and the credit sequence (even though the song was well below-par). The parkour-with-things-exploding-alongside was considerably less adrenaline-thumping that many other parkour sequences seen even on TV (Top Gear).
BTW, I also watched Dhoom 2, in which I lusted after Hrithik Roshan for the first time ever. High on style, low on plot, it was nonetheless a fun film with equal opportunity oogling. As the NY Times put it:
"The pleasure principle is palpable in the giddy, slick ''Dhoom 2,'' a satisfying example of the new, thoroughly modern Bollywood. The film is shot in sharp, primary colors, with sophisticated stunts, exotic location hopping and songs sung partly in English (and available on iTunes no less).... Hrithik Roshan plays Aryan, the ''smartest and coolest thief alive,'' as his police nemesis, Jai (Abhishek Bachchan), enthuses. (Jai to Aryan: ''I like your confidence''; Aryan to Jai: ''I like you.'') And the buffest: at the mere hint of a flamenco beat, Mr. Roshan whips off his shirt."Heh. And also, some HoYay!
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