Went and saw 9 yesterday with Lee. Got there half an hour early, saw the line and went "oh, hey, why are all these people here? There are no interesting movies playing." (Gamer looks lame, District 9 has been out awhile, there were four kiddie movies, and let's not even discuss The Time Traveler's Wife.

Actually, no, let's, because I love making mockery of things that are overnight successes for dumb reasons like 'Edward Cullen is shiny and the perfect cardboard man.' I understand Asimov has a point with science fiction not actually having to be its own genre (after all, I've read the Robot books and it's not like the Honor Harrington books aren't just Horatio Hornblower with spaceships for the first five books). But I wikied it. (I wiki everything. It's a drug.) It's some boring romance where the steamy penultimate sex scene is when she's 18 and he's 40-something. (For those of you who don't wiki everything, he's unglued from time and keeps bouncing back and forth- always showing up with nothing but his birthday suit- in time, usually in his personal timeline. (Means his wife met him years before he met her, because it was old-him meeting illegal-her before young-him met college girl-her when they were both in the proper spot for their timelines. It's a genetic disorder, which means the female lead gets to have tons of natural abortions (whoops, miscarriages), because apparently fetuses can time-hop too. Moms not included. (It actually makes me wonder which parent he got it from and whether a pregnant woman would hop around with the baby. This is likely not discussed in the book, because it's about not being master of your own destiny, since the traveler finds out everything from the wife and she finds out the necessary dates from him.) There is huge angst about the miscarriages and he gets his tubes tied, pissing her off, and making her jump the bones of one of his pre-tied-tubes selves that pop into the future to make with the bavymaking. (And of course that pregnancy sticks, but I forget if that just meant junior started jumping later in life. It ends with him showing up someplace in winter with snow and getting frostbite in his feet and him having to gnaw them off and then he hops to someplace where he cannot run away because he has gnawed off his feet and is hit by a car and dies. And her story ends with the just-before-the-whole-frostbite-thing version of him showing up at her deathbed to say goodbye. (By the way, perhaps you should wiki that, because less of half of that was bullshit.)

Anyways, no major movies out (though the 9 theater was crowded because it was opening weekend), so we figure everyone hit the movies because it was overcast and drizzly and not good weather for doing outdoor activities. (Oh hey, speaking of The Time Traveler's Wife still, the hair on the guy in the poster looked familiar (though the name meant nothing because the actor wasn't hot enough to check up on IMDB when whatever movie I was watching with him in it was playing. Lee went "blah, blah, blah, standard male haircut", to which I say "you haven't ever seen Stargate: Atlantis but for commercials, but I bet you could identify Joe Flanigan solely from a cropped picture of his forehead and up." To which she says I have a point and rattles off some movies this guy's been in (like Troy and some other boring movie I have also avoided, and she was surprised I'd avoided Troy, since she watched it a couple times while we were still loving together. Mad skillz.) But I still have no idea where it is I've seen him.)

Anyways, 9 was bunches of fun, even if I did keep getting flashes of "is this what Cyborg 009 would look like it if the guys who thought up the Terminator stuff remade it using sock puppets and Henry Selick?" (This sentence will not make any sense to you without having seen Cyborg 009, Terminator, Wallace and Grommit, Coraline, Nightmare Before Christmas, and 9. And even then, only if you are me.) It even had an all male voice cast, with one token girl. Admittedly, she played the hero, so that's an upgrade from 009's useless love-interesty twit who was just good as binoculars. I will take twelve of the little ones with the flashing eyes and adorable hoods, and one bone helmet with built-in dangle earrings. Please hold the bodiless doll head attached to potato-bag snake.

I spent most of the movie trying to figure out the voice actors. 9 was easy enough- because I be a huge Elijah Wood fan, and 1 had a most commanding 'I am eldest, I know best' speech that could've come straight from Saruman's mouth (because I still don't know who that actor is) and the only other movie I'd heard 7 in was Labyrinth and the actress is 20 years older and doesn't sound the same (maybe if 7 had been a whiner I would've picked up on it). I was disappointed the dead sock puppets couldn't have their souls put back (at least the ones who still had their lifeless bodies lying around), but it was a heartfelt shiny goodbye scene.

Lee and I had actually driven out last weekend to Pensacola to see the new Miyazaki movie (Pongyo, or something like that. In my head it's the Little Mermaid anime). I got to her place late, so dawdled getting out, and we were fifteen minutes late. The counter girl informed us that the movie was no longer on her screen and she couldn't sell us tickets. I debated buying a ticket for a different movie and just going to the Punjab show anyway, but she had an ornery look on her face, and I hate the Pensacola theater and wasn't upset at all to not have to give them money. We went to Steak & Shake instead.

You may recall a new Doctor Who was announced awhile back. The actor in case is 28, which is usually a good age for finally breaking out into big 'celebritiness' for non-teenager-focused shows and movies. Unfortunately, I'm cranky his big debut is going to be Doctor Who, who has always had mass appeal to the elderly as well as the young. Hiring younger and younger actors mean the older audience members lose their interest in the character because he's just a young whippersnapper who is doing his Doctor Who impersonation all wrong. The old series seemed to alterate between thinkers and doers. Seems to be it's about time for a thinker.

Unfortunately, the companion they've finally picked out is even more of an unknown, with a hell of a lot less experience than Junior over there. Like Freema, she was in a previous season (I haven't seen 'The Fires of Pompeii' but I bet she was just so gosh-darned cute playing the soothsayer). I understand they didn't want to hire a big name to outshine their newbie, but couldn't they have gotten someone who at least looks like an adult? She's 21, but all the pictures for her make her look like she's straight out of Dawson's Creek. (I kinda wish they'd hired the little miss who played Sally Sparrow in the doctor-lite episode in season 3. She was spunky.)

Anyone seen 'Fires of Pompeii' to give an opinion on Miss Gillan's acting skills? Am I being fair in thinking she was basically hired because she'd been in a previous Who episode and that she wouldn't outshine Mr. Smith? (Because you know Ms. Tate would've.)

So even with internet access, my iidea of up-to-date Hollywood news is "anything that happened after November." Which is at it should be, because they're a bunch of assholes who don't deserve my undivided attention.

Anyway, anyone here a fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender? I've seen the first couple season and wow Nickolodeon, where did you find these people? Great characters, plot, scenery, and funny jokes. It's everything I wish all my tv shows were, except for the fact the cast is under the age of twenty and animated, so there is some guilt over wishing I'd find a nice boy with (insert any character here)'s (insert any interesting 'good for picking up chicks' characteristic here, ie body/temperament/eyes/sense of humor). But who cares?

So I did hear mention ages ago someone was considering making it into a movie. (I vaguely remember going, "but doesn't this show have a finish line? Avatar learns firebending and defeat's Zuko's dad and saves minor characters/learns important life lessons along the way? Why would it need a movie?") So recently I came across something along the lines of current status of this movie.

1. It will be live-action. Goodbye pretty scenery and exacting hand motions, hello Power Rangers' karate and CGIed backgrounds with cardboard cut-out buildings.

2. Because making the four nations Inuit/Eastern/Islander isn't culturally diverse enough, the casting and setting will be more 'culturally and ethnically' diverse. (Reporter went to casting call here. (Link found by fellow irate Avatar fan here.(CLICK TEH LINKS LIEK WHOA! SHIRLY THIZ NOT SIREUS!)))

3. All main characters will be white.

4. Like with most movies with children in them, a state of disbelief will be needed to see the guy my age as being 16. (Guy playing Zuko, on his character: "He's, like, an evil prince." Okay, not a direct quote, but the evil prince portion is. (The law says you are an adult why?) Even worse? Guy playing Sokka, on his being cast: "All I need is a tan! XD" (Your parents did not beat the racism out of you why?))

5. M. Night Shyamalan is directing. (While I enjoyed Lady in the Water and portions of Signs, is anyone else confused by the director of choice? It's like asking Stephen King to write the script. Sure, he's good at his job, but his name itself is a connotation that this will be a creepy movie. You could try pulling a Harry Selick and just put on the poster "From the director of Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach, we present Coraline." No wait, all your movies are creepy. You were hired why? To draw your fans to a movie they would otherwise avoid because they're too cool for kid stuff? (Nevermind that the fact half the main characters haven't quite hit puberty, Avatar has stuff for people of all ages to enjoy. I'd rather watch Avatar than On Golden Pond, but I can still appreciate actually casting a distinct anti-established Hollywood age. (See earlier post concerning Watchmen and Carla Gugino.))

So, anybody who's a fan of Avatar should probably just plug their ears and sing "la-la-la-la-la, I can't hear you" any time someone mentions this film. It has unfortunate things written all over it.

(You did click those links, yes? Does anyone know where I can get me some lederhosen to be authentically Belgian, which is, like, right next to the Netherlands, which means they're my historically accurate traditional costume as well? Or would it be dirndl for me?)

So I watched Watchmen Saturday. As a big fan of the comic book, I hated it. As a big fan of cheesy movies, I enjoyed it muchly.

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, I suggest renting 300 first. (To quote the poster, "From the acclaimed director of 300, Zach Snyder" blah, blah, blah). Note the gratuitous gore and sex. It will be repeated in Watchmen. He hasn't made many movies yet, but he already has a signature. (It leaves me distinctly unimpressed. As porn goes, it's pretty good- though leaves me embarrassed to be viewing it in a crowded theater. As gore goes, I prefer Tarantino. His beheadings were silhouettes.)

As most people here have either already read Watchmen, I'm not really going to discuss the plot. We all knew going in it would end up being retarded because Watchmen wasn't about the plot. It was about the details, the off-topicness of lengthy excerpts from books and comics and the character drama and flashbacks to minor characters who end up being tiny cogs in the great machine that destroyed the world. All of that flavor text- all of what made us love Watchmen would obviously have to go, because otherwise it would be a twenty hour miniseries. So the plot is a couple of retired (and not-so-retired) vigilantes investigate a murder. Things happen. Thirty major cities get exploded by the doohickey that made Doc Manhattan and the truth gets suppressed. The end. (This is not what happened in the book. I like the evil alien invader actually created in secret by Veidt's unknowing minions who get exploded for it as well. But that story is filled with too many pesky details.)

( Major non-linear discussion of said movie continues. )

I'm not sure who beyond Katie is a Doctor Who fan. (I know Lee's parents are huge Tom Baker fans when it comes to DW), but Nodwick just linked me an announcement that leaves me rather, well, befuddled.

BBC is probably a more direct source than the fan discussions Nodwick linked.

I know absolutely nothing of Matt Smith, so I can't say I'm judging his acting ability. The fact his IMDb entry is very bare is rather worrisome, but he's also apparently in plays. The main problem I have with this announcement is his age. He's a baby. He couldn't have grown up on Tom Baker because he was born after said Baker had left the show. (1981, if anyone's interested. Junior here was born in '82.) Casting for the Doctor is a bit of a juggle- wise old man, active young man, occasionally naughty school boy. Tennant was great- he's a very physical actor, has youthful good looks, but the age to portray old eyes when necessary. Smith has the age where you're very active and naughty, but I can only hope the DW casting department saw something in him that said he can act the Doctor's age when necessary.

While I'm all for not hiring actors based on their good looks, I would like some reassurance that Junior will be losing the goth appearance for his Doctor Who season(s). Because while you want to gain new viewers- and goth is, like, totally in with 14-year-olds- you also don't want to lose your regular viewers- those people who've been watching Doctor Who for longer than said Who actor has been alive.

So yeah, should be interesting.

Note to self: still need to buy season 4 of Doctor Who so as can squee over return of Billie Piper for a few episodes. Also, unfortunately, Ms. Agyeman, but at least she's over her stupid crush. Rose's was cute and very 'teenager in love with her professor and physical is kind of a side effect, not the cause'; Martha's was very 'you're cute and why don't you find me attractive and why are you always talking about Rose all the time when here I am to console you as biblically as possible!' She grows out of it after a while, but her appearance in 'The Shakespeare Code' is why I stopped watching 3 until it came out on DVD and I could fast forward through her obnoxious pining.

I like multitasking. Perhaps multitasking isn't the right word for it. I like reading a book and watching television at the same time. Or watching movies while doing my cross stitch. Drawing while holding a conversation. Things along those lines- though reading while holding a conversation is even more difficult than you'd imagine. I say this to talk about my current activity's background noise (ie, the TV show I'm reading to)- Babylon 5. I bought Lee a couple of the seasons she owns, and others have bought the rest, and I have missed them since she moved. I never actually finished, and I'm obsessive enough that if it's been too long, I start things back at the beginning rather than at where I left off. (This is a recurring problem with Dune. I've pretty much got the first memorized, but I've never gotten past God Emperor, which I'm told is the beginning of a downward spiral into authorial madness and it's no wonder I finished. But dammit, I want to see how it all turns out.)
( Television show discussion follows )

Nothing of interest really happens to me- mostly because I love not having anything to do. My days consist of watching movies, playing video games, reading books, occasionally hanging out with people. It's boring and I like it that way.

Nice part about summertime is there's always a crap-ton of fun movies hitting theaters. Unfortunately, Lee was my main go-to person for hitting the movies (because I feel weird going by myself, mostly because making snarky comments about the trailers is no fun if you have no audience with which to share your cutting one-liners.) Which means I have yet to see Hancock, Hellboy 2, The Incredible Hulk, or Get Smart. There is possibly a pattern there. I like superheroes in movies. It's just superhero comic books I can't stand. I'm not certain if it's because you have to follow the entire publishing company's line (as cool an idea as the supes' Civil War was, do you know how many characters that thing had to keep up with? ... Yeah, nobody else does either, but a bunch of fans went broke trying); or if it's just because I was raised on Archies and newspaper cartoons, which follow completely different tracks and either have a set beginning, middle, end or else work simply as one-shots. Comic books, on the other hand, change artists, change writers, discontinue for years (sometimes forever...), rewrite canon, and never actually end. There is no happily ever after in DC-world. There is merely next month's exciting issue of fucking yet another superhero over. As Gaiman pointed out early on in the Sandman, the real problem with stories is knowing where to stop- if you keep them going long enough, they always end in death.

With the sibs in town, I have seen some movies. I saw WALL-E (which was the cutest load of self-righteousness I've ever seen- I'm not certain if I love it in spite of its baseball bat message or because of it) with Laura (who loves that cutesy shit). Wanted I managed to rope E. into seeing (because Angelina Jolie is hot with a H-A-W-T, even if the movie was nothing to write home about), as well as the latest Indiana Jones (which was going decently for a B-level action movie until Spielberg failed his will save and suddenly it became a D-level sci-fi movie) and Prince Caspian (which had me double-checking date of birth and her basking in relief at the fact her panting over the title character wasn't pedophilia). I've seen Iron Man twice, with as many people as I could talk into it, and want to see it again and again and again. Seriously, even though I knew Downey pretty much led Stark's life IRL (minus the genius superhero bit), I didn't think much of his acting ability- he doesn't come across as physical enough for a superhero movie. It really wasn't fair of me- his part in A Scanner Darkly is the only reason I'd even consider re-watching that movie. (Nothing against the acting on anyone's part, I just hate bad endings.)

The Dark Knight I mentioned to DJ and Jon, and we saw that for a morning showing on opening weekend. The theater was surprisingly full, considering the time of day. (Of course, it was opening weekend, and they had the same bright idea we did. Less crowds because nobody goes to bed early on Fridays. With the exception me. DJ actually hadn't even slept yet...) The theater entrance itself was so completely Joker-ified (also with a mini-shrine to the late actor) that one can only assume they had a midnight showing that probably sold out of tickets the week before. And while I cannot deny the awesomeness that is this movie, I would've bought evening tickets to Twilight (aka the 'Vampire Love' quartet about some twat named Bella and her emo vampire 'do I eat you or rape you' love of her life) solely to see its trailers.

Really, one trailer. Something I didn't really keep track of, barring the hunting down of actors and going "huh, you sure about that? Pretty sure an actress playing someone's mother ought to be more than seven years older." (Nothing against Carla Gugino, she had a very fine ass in Sin City, and did a marvelous job of acting in Threshold, but she looks nothing like the character in question). Anyways, Watchmen. Oh my god, Watchmen. They've only been false-starting production of this movie for fifteen years. (And trying to get someone to write a script since it came out...) And it comes out for my birthday next year. 25 is my new lucky number, barring any unforeseeable actions. (Such as Snyder finally realizing Moore's never, ever going to watch it and burning all copies of the film before its released. ... It could happen. Just look at America's Sweethearts.)


In actual life news that has nothing to do with movies and my love of comic books turned into movies, my eye hurts. As in, please do not touch my lower eyelid because it is pinkish and swollen and sore. Has been for a couple days now. I'm kind of wanting to find an eye patch, because lights make me blink more, which makes the eye hurt more. On the plus side, it makes for a nice distraction from the permanent low-grade headache I've had the past two weeks. (Which got started by the mother of all migraines. One should never wake up in the middle of the night to a random nighttime noise, only to go "ow, omg, wtf?" and start sobbing with pain and not be able to get back to sleep for hours before some blessed soul brings you Excedrin Migraine and a glass of water.)

1. Pick 15 of your favorite movies
2. Go to IMDB and find a quote from each movie
3. Post them for everyone to guess
4. Fill in the film title once it's guessed
5. No googling/using IMDB search functions!

Now with answers for the memorizational-impaired.


1. "I'm gonna count to five..."
"I'm gonna count to three." Transformers, jachyra

2. "Do not feel sad. It is alright. Many things cannot fly. Rocks, trees, sticks, Spike..." The Land Before Time carmenwoods (They're up to thirteen, btw)

3. "It's because I'm white, isn't it?"
"Larry's white."
"Larry's not white. Larry's clear."
Space Jam

4. "The Audrey Two is not a healthy girl."
"Strictly between us - neither is the Audrey One."
Little Shop of Horrors

5. "Pretty much touch anything, and you get your head chopped off."
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

6. "Well, I didn't get a good look at his face. I'm not made of eyes!"
Hot Fuzz

7. "Via con dios."
"And a via con diablos to you, too, sir."
Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight

8. "Tony wants to sell you this. He says he found it in a dumpster."
"He keeps stealing from people, they're gonna find him in a dumpster."
Die Hard With a Vengeance

9. "Don't shoot yourself. Don't shoot each other. And especially... don't shoot me."
Grindhouse: Planet Terror

10. "My friend here is trying to convince me that any independent contractors working on the uncompleted Death Star were innocent victims when it was destroyed by the Rebels." Clerks, pariahsdream

11. "Are you trying to be funny, or do you think I'm stupid?"
"I wasn't trying to be funny."
Holes

12. "You had a part people loved. I mean, my TV Guide interview was six paragraphs about my BOOBS and how they fit into my suit. No one bothered to ask me what I do on the show." Galaxy Quest, pariahsdream

13. "Margaret has always wanted to travel."
"I know. She's heading an expedition to China shortly. I'm to go as her servant. But only on the understanding that I am to be very badly treated."
"What will your duties be?"
"Sword fighting, obviously, administering rum and swabbing."
"And which of these will take precedence?"
"Swabbing, I imagine." Sense and Sensibility, pariahsdream

14. "Fix your boobs; you look like a bleedin' Picasso!"
Robin Hood: Men in Tights

15. "When I woke up, I went on what the movie advertisements refer to as a 'roaring rampage of revenge.' I roared. And I rampaged. And I got bloody satisfaction. I've killed a hell of a lot of people to get to this point, but I have only one more. The last one." Kill Bill Vol. 2 pariahsdream

So pariahsdream has only been back two days, and we're already wondering how the hell we live with each other.

Bwahahahaha.

On to the movie reviews.

First of all, I have discovered Mystery Science Theater 3000 is available on DVD. Squee!! I rented Hercules Versus the Moon Men from Lee's Netflix account. (She was gone two weeks, it's not like she was using it. Not to mention she's the one using my Blockbuster account to watch her season one Farscape because the Netflix ones aren't available anymore.) How sad is it I've seen this movie without the MST3K guys? I mean, I know I'm notorious for loving the B movies, but wow, I didn't realize I'd seen movies so bad MST3K used them.

Beowulf. I don't even need to see this movie. Everyone else has already seen this movie and said everything that needs be said about it. (Everyone spends 3/4 of the movie naked, and even a naked Angelina Jolie couldn't save it. And apparently the fight with Grendel was the best game of 'hide the penis' ever.) If you absolutely must see it, I'm told it's fun to watch in 3-D.

I hated The Golden Compass. The book, I mean. (I spent the entire book wanting to beat Lyra senseless. Spent all of The Subtle Knife thinking the same. Didn't bother with the third. Stardust was bland and transferred to movie fantastically, so I'll give it a shot.) I absolutely adore Eva Green and Daniel Craig, and Nicole Kidman does badass well, so the movie looks like fun.

Enchanted. So I really didn't want to pay ten bucks to see this movie. However, the siblings and I had to duke it out to decide on a movie we all could live with. Laura refused to see Hitman (and once I read a review that mentioned a Russian prostitute teaching him sex or something, I decided to pass on it as well) and I refused to see the drama-romance she would die without, so we compromised. She got her romance, I got comedy. The singing in Central Park was hilarious. The ending was a bit trite, and I was rooting for the Giselle just teaching the lawyer to have fun and spontaneity with his life and suchlike. Ah well.

SciFi Channel had their new mini-series on the past couple days. Like there aren't enough Wizard of OZ remakes already. Not to say that I didn't like Tin Man (unlike 99% of the viewing public). I think they make good mini-series, even if they did steal all the costumes from Flash Gordon, the sets from Stargate: SG-1, and the actors from a LA restaurant's wait staff. (Okay, maybe not that last part, but there's only so much they could do with their lines, so they came across as that.) I liked the quest, thought it was pretty, and thought Neal McDonough even prettier and that's all that mattered. (The Scarecrow's monkey-fu was awesome too.)

As for the upcoming stuff, I am Legend looks interesting, and if Laura demands another drama-romance movie, I'll allow PS, I Love You, because I like Hilary Swank (even if her agent always finds her the worst movies to be in). Also, Lee and I found the trailers for The Water Horse excrutiatingly adorable and I must see the cuteness now!
Looking forward to renting the third Bourne movie too.

Any movies out anyone else found interesting, be they interesting in a puke-worthy way or 'totally want to see it again' sort of way?

Saw Stardust over the weekend. It's your standard romantic fantasy quest, so I found the book so boring I never actually finished it. Course, it also goes to show you that even the most boring Neil Gaiman book ever makes for a cool movie. (I'm holding out for Good Omens.) Robert de Niro was fabulous, and the seven princes made for hilarious entertainment. Liz and I were the youngest people in the audience, barring a couple of couples that brought the kiddies. The gentleman two seats over from me kept snoring. That was pretty funny.

J.C. and Katie were/are in town. (How coupley- it's J.C. and Katie, not just Katie or J.C.) One was in for the weekend, the other left yesterday, in opposite directions, and they both made off with my Fables books. I was too sleepy to stop them. (After large meals, I have to be given time to digest, so nyah.) Katie also made off with season four of Bab5, which delays me finishing that up even further.

( Speaking of tv shows... )

Haven't posted in awhile. Let's see if I can remember anything interesting that's happened lately.
( Lengthy blathering follows )

Okay, so I've been seeing a lot of movie commercials on the TV of late. I blame the Golden Globes, or the Oscars, or whatever the hell the movie awards at the beginning of the year are.

BTW, Their lists are crap. They changed the foreign film category to foreign langauge category so Gibson and Eastwood could get their movies in. (I can see Iwo Jima getting a nomination. It's a WW2 film, and those usually come across well. Apocalypto is something else entirely. (I wonder if it's got subtitles. Do you suppose their Native American star had to learn Mayan?) Apocalypto isn't even a Mayan word. It's Greek. Losers.

Pan's Labyrinth is too Mexican, Lee. So ha. (Though he does have an Italian sounding name, I'll give you that.)

Further outrage is The Last King of Scotland. Upon seeing the trailer, my first thought is "when did the Scottish have black kings?" My next thought is "Why are they all in late twentieth-century clothes when Scotland hasn't had a king since the seventeenth century?" Why the hell make a movie about an Ugandan dictator? Seriously depressing topic, there. (Though it's very amusing to see that the actor playing the doctor also played Mr. Tumnus is the latest Narnia movie. Way to go from one end of the spectrum to the other, dude.)

Also, there are seriously crappy movies out right now. Take Blood and Chocolate. Lee and I died laughing seeing its title after its horrible "I wish I was as good as the Poseidon Adventure" trailer. Werewolves, in Paris or something. Doing some werewolvey type things, like chasing people and biting people and who knows what else. From the makers of Underworld. I wouldn't advertise that myself (it and its sequel were painful. Has anyone figured out why she wears a leather corset over a coat?). It would make people think you couldn't do good movies ever. (Where do you suppose the chocolate comes in?)

Further randomness. If we really had an oil crisis, wouldn't they cancel NASCAR?

My Personality

Neuroticism	75
Extraversion	1
Openness To Experience	49
Agreeableness	7
Conscientiousness	13

Test Yourself Compare Yourself View Full Report Ugg Boots, Baby Gifts and MySpace Layouts by Pulseware MySpace Layouts

So I'm very neurotic, very introverted, and sometimes openminded about new stuff, even though I know I'll hate it. These things never tell me anything I don't already know.

Also, when did LJ change its posting page? I was almost lost for a bit there.

Also, also. I was at Arby's getting lunch today. Total was $25 (because the guys eat so much food, sheesh) and I gave the girl taking my order two twenties out of my pocket. She opens her drawer only to see that she's got one five and a handful of ones left in it. So I go "hey, let me see if I have a ten" and pull out my wallet. And she stares at me and goes "but I don't have any fives." Like that has anything to do with anything. So I say, "give me a twenty back and take the ten" and she's still staring at me, completely clueless. Can she not do basic math? I need $14 change. If I give her another ten, she can give me a twenty back and a couple of ones. Where is the mystery here?

(Now would be an amusing time to mention I never have the register tell me change except when I'm given $50s and $100s, and that's only so they'll be on the receipt for the customer. Honestly, no one can add or subtract anymore.)

Also x3. Went and saw Curse of the Golden Flower with Lee the other day. (Knowing Mandarin translation like I do, it was probably originally titled City of Very Shiny Gold Armor with Incestuous, Back-stabbing Royal Family. They could pull it off, because they use characters as words, not letters.) Audience of seven (including one who took offense to me poking fun at the incestuous characters and shushing me, making me bemoan the fact that it's twenty bucks for a bag of popcorn and that I had none to throw at him), so that should've warned me (this movie hasn't been out *that* long yet). I do not recommend it. It's very very shiny, yes, and there are some cool siege (read, massacre of invading army) scenes, but I prefer movies where I don't spend the entire time going "Which character am I rooting for? Which of the many characters will make it to the end of the movie?" (Going by proper Chinese traditional drama movie rules, there must be a 95% death rate. The character you like the best will die last.)
Don't believe Lee if she says it's based off some true story. What does she know of Chinese history? (Also, if she can't even remember that only the Emperor was allowed to wear gold on pain of beheading, she's also not a good Chinese art student.) It's probably based off some Japanese kabuki. They like the incestuous love-gone-bad thing too.
The one thing you learn from this movie (besides don't boink the help because they could actually be your half-sister because your dad's a ladder-climbing snake like that) is that the only person who ever wins in Chinese era-based movies is the Emperor.

I watch the Sci-Fi Channel a lot. It means I've got some commercials pretty much memorized because they play the same ones over and over again. So even though I've forgotten most of the BSG character names forgotten, I can recognize them. And I'm kind of wondering about the newest one they're showing. It's clear, and light, and completely un-depressing looking, and all I've got to say is they're not going to be drawing in a new audience through false advertising. Not to mention I think the writers have completely lost their minds. The Cylons have decided Earth is going to be their new home. Why? The twelve colonies not enough space for them?

(It probably went like this:
"Hey, if we're remaking BSG, the toasters will have to destroy the twelve colonies, and then chase the survivors through space. The survivors will search for the mythical thirteenth colony. And the Cylons will want to go there as well. Why?"
"I know, boss! The Cylons want to make Earth their new home!"
"But Earth is the one that founded all the rest. It's already the homeplace of humanity. The Cylons are trying to prove they're better than humans. Going to Earth would be backsliding. Not to mention, I thought the Cylons destroyed the colonies so they could live there..."
"Shhh, the audience might hear you. Let's just assume they're stupid and won't notice."
"Brilliant idea. You get a raise. And your own office."
"Yay!")

Also, Eragon is coming out Friday. Why are its commercials still saying "this film not yet rated." It's going to be either PG or PG-13. Why the hang-up?

Or A Complaint About Slash, As Seen In Star Wars
( For those of you who would rather not be traumatized re:Everyone's Favorite Trilogies, you can stop reading now. )

Squee! I just saw a movie trailer for V for Vendetta. They've only been saying it'll be a movie for ten years. It comes out March 17.

Is it just me, or have they been making a great deal of comic books into movies these past few years?

Second squee note. Mirrormask is out on DVD. (You wouldn't have heard of it, they only released it in about twenty theaters across the country. Ages ago.) They even have a copy of it at Network Video. (Very weird. I mean, does Fort Walton strike you as a hub of budding independent movie lovers?)

My heroes. (Heros?) Set up as an experiment in how many B-movies it takes to drive a guy mad, it movie snarks worse than me! Although the experiment is doomed to failure. While B-movies do drive you mad (just look at me. Apparently you have to be insane to like Waterworld), it varies from person to person, and we look surprisingly sane most of the time. Until you set us down in front of a movie.

The link is due to the fact Carmen wouldn't know MST if it did the hula using a two-by-four and three bike tires. I'm sure the rest of you all know and love Crow and Tom and their hideous movies. For Carmen's sake, I'm going to point to the icon. *points* See those little outlines at the bottom? They're watching a bad movie. And making fun of it.

I miss MST3K. I want Sci-Fi to bring it back. And Babylon 5. And science fiction movies, instead of the Mummy and Jim Carrey movies.

I got a movie I don't remember ordering in the mail the other day, along with Madagascar (for Margret for Christmas, but she already knows that, so why are you saying I shouldn't say that?). So I say to Liz "well, it has this one actress in it and I know somebody who collects her movies. So I'll give it to her for Christmas." Liz told me not to tell her I got it by accident and just didn't want the movie. So I'm telling you now, where you (and the movie) can remain safely anonymous until you get a crappy movie from me for Christmas that you know I wouldn't like. And then you'll know I got it on accident and wasn't thinking about you at all.

Unless you're Laura and you're opening The Notebook, which is crappy too, but I got it on purpose and actually was thinking of you, but only in the 'dear God, she has terrrible taste in movies and if she wanted romance, she ought to watch Pierce Brosnan in Around the World in 80 Days because he looks too funny in Victorian garb and you can be romantic without being drenched in water and climbing all over each other' way.

So nyeh.

Reactions to Goblet of Fire as per an icon-maker.

Or, how to snark in ten words or less. "I suppose I'm okay with the pink dress. ... Even though it should be blue." There are other me's out there, people, and they want the blue dress too! Though I thought Harry ought to be kinda short, especially compared to Ron (always described as tall). Seeing as how Ron got regular meals and didn't have to be cupboard-sized and all.

(Never read bad fanfic. Harry is apparently taller than Ron (he has a twelve inch growth spurt the summer before 7th year, apparently), bedecked in gayboi leather (because girls don't see guys in normal blue jeans as being sexy, though I'll agree with the ick-ness any female possessing a little common sense has with the pants that start to where a guy's boxers end), and completely ripped via Quidditch. (Though I'll give on the fact he probably would have some serious thigh muscles. >_> Gotta wonder where abs of steel come into play.))

I think the unrequited!Myrtle is cute. "You could share my toilet if you die."


To get off that topic, sort of. Is anyone else annoyed by the boys/girls' club they made Durmstrang and Beauxbaton into? Admittedly I really don't want to see a guy in the Beauxbaton uniform- even though it was cute, in a 'hey, they make ten-year-olds wear that too? Are the teachers Nabochovs?' sort of way. Plus few girls would shave their heads just to get into a school. (Actually, I'd grow my hair out, because none of those guys can compare to Vin Diesel. Now there's a hottie who pulls off shaved bald . Yum. ... Moving back on topic now.) In the book, the fact that *both* schools accept *both* genders is stated. Y'know, the fact the Durmstrang girls all looked liked Marcus Flint and the Beauxbaton boys that the younger girls were cooing over? (Likely all gaybois if they had to wear movie!Beauxbatons uniforms. Maybe they had a darker blue for the guys.)

The Abyss was on Sci-Fi today. I only caught parts of the last half of it, with Dad interrupting me going "hey, here's a a good part" or "I almost cried at this part" and "no, they're not blowing something up. They're making something *not* blow up" and unhelpful stuff like that.
( Ranting continues )

Since the first go-round was so much fun. =)

Bonus points for naming the character(s) who said it. (Extra bonus points for doing it "that one dude in that one movie with the shades" because you forgot/never heard the character's name.)

Now with answers for the memorizational-impaired.

1. "I'm as a fresh as a daisy."
"You look more like a black-eyed Susan." The Quiet Man, Squire Danaher and Sean Thornton pariahsdream
They both looked pretty bad, if you ask me. Cross-country beatings do that.
My father's favorite movie of all time, and supposedly the reason I'm named Katharine Mary

2. "My Morse code is so rusty I could be sending him the dimensions of the playmate of the month." Hunt For Red October, the one dude who drove the boat who was a cowboy jachyra
I find this hilarious, even more so in context.

3. "Who knows, in a thousand years, even you may be worth something." Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Belloq (To Indy) e_heidi_liz
But probably not.
(Also from this movie:
"Where shall I find a new adversary so close to my own level?"
"Try the local sewer.")

4. "Fuck you- what the fucking fuck- who the fuck- fuck this- fucking how did you two fucking fucks... fuck!"
"Well, it certainly illustrates a diversity of the word." Boondock Saints, Rocco and Connor pariahsdream
It amuses me.

5. "Water which is too pure has no fish."
Bulletproof Monk
You suppose there's this book of proverbs that all wise Chinese monks pull these things out of, complete with analyses of what the hell they're supposed to mean?

6. "I think we lost something."
"Not to worry, we are still flying *half* a ship!" Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith, Anakin and Obi-Wan pyrokitty714 (I can't decide if Pug was pretending he didn't know it- so would I- or honestly didn't know)
The sad thing is, they were paid to make this movie. They should've paid us to watch it, the bastards. 'Not to worry, we still have half our audience still in the theater.'

7. "Look... we can't have any firing in there. I, uh... I want you to collect magazines from everybody."
"Is he fuckin' crazy?"
"What the hell are we supposed to use man? Harsh language?" Aliens, some Marine-type people
Tempest
Flamethrowers, actually. The first time I ever saw one was this movie.

8. "My authorization code is E-A-T-M-E."
Alien Resurrection
I want to see that actually be the code sometime. That'd be funny.

9. "You mean they ate each other up?"
"They had to, in order to survive."
"Honey..."
"Don't worry, Mom. I know all about cannibalism. I saw it on TV."
"See, it's OK. He saw it on the television."
The Shining
Sad to say, this is true. Television is teacher, not the parents, nowadays.

10. "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die." Blade Runner, white-haired guy pyrokitty714
Completely depressing movie, from the beginning to the end, especially since I've only seen the director's cut. Except for this one time I came across it ending on cable, and it was bright and sunny and green and I thought 'wtf' and continued my channel surfing.

11. "You'll be back over here in five minutes."
"I'll be asleep in five minutes." Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Willie and Indy pyrokitty714
One of the most irritating female characters I have ever come across. Mostly because it was an otherwise fun movie, and screeching women are serious negative points on the Elf movie meter.

12. "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room." Doctor Strangelove, Or: How I learned to stop worrying and love The Bomb, the President pugtor
Not a particularly funny movie so much as Orwellian, or Heinlein-ian, though less so of Heinlein, since he thinks he's funny and he's not, while Orwell is just 'that is so true' funny-not-funny. But that line is just so hilarious.

13. "Random thoughts for Valentine's day, 2004. Today is a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap." Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Joel pariahsdream
Not particularly fond if this movie, but I love the little mental notes and asides the narrator has. Though it's too linear to be my side notes. "Are we the dining dead?" Hee.

14. "Where'd you get the coconuts?" Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Soldier who likes birds pugtor
Anything I say would be a dead giveaway.

15. "I'm a fucking surgeon with this shotgun." Kill Bill, hotel assassin carmenwoods
You've got to wonder how. [edit]Still wondering how.[/edit]

16. "Yvette, will you attend to the Colonel and give him anything he requires.... Within reason, that is." Clue, Wadsworth pyrokitty714
Tim Curry is hilarious. Though I'm not sure who's seen this...

17. "You mean to tell me that in a fit of jealousy you wrote your wife a love letter?" Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Eddy Valiant pariahsdream
I can't remember if I liked this movie or not. It's not my kind of funny.

18. "It's disgraceful, you're old enough to be her... her grandfather."
"Well, I'm as human as the next man."
"Dad, I *was* the next man." Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Jones boys pyrokitty714
I wince every time I watch this scene, but could you really blame the girl? Woof.

19. "You don't just walk into a store and buy plutonium. Did you rip that off?"
"Of course. From a group of Libyan nationalists. They wanted me to build them a bomb, so I took their plutonium and in turn, gave them a shiny bomb-casing full of used pinball machine parts." Back to the Future, Marty and Doc pugtor
They had an interesting time filming, seeing as how the tall guy and short guy had trouble managing to fit into the camera frame without things being cut off. It's worse than Liz being eye level with her food at the kitchen table.

20. "Why won't you help me? Why must you always speak in riddles?"
"Because I be, what I be. I would tell you what you want to know if I could mum, but I be a cat. And no cat anywhere, ever gave anyone a straight answer." Last Unicorn, Molly Grue pugtor
Bonus points if you beat the CSC girls to getting this one.

Bonus: Name *every* Star Wars character who had a 'bad feeling about this.' pugtor is a geek. His prize- name every other movie that has that line. >=)