shameless gloating
Wooohoooo! Somehow I managed to pull off straight As this semester! I guess all my sleepless nights paid off. A big thanks to everyone who helped me through it! One more semester to go and this time I get to make movies!
“Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.”
—Sydney J. Harris
Current mood: bouncy
Currently listening: Turn On the Bright Lights by Interpol
movie reviews
A quick rundown of some movies I have rented over the last few weeks.
2046, 2005
This loose sequel to In the Mood of Love never really captures the heart of its precursor. And 2046 is even more difficult to follow, but if you can keep up with it, it delivers. This is a story drowning in intense nostalgia, romance, and unrequited love. In an interesting twist, the storytelling introduces a futuristic world that gives depth and subtext to this stunning film. Again, these movies probably have the most beautiful cinematography I have ever seen. And don’t even get me started on the soundtrack. Absolutely brilliant.
The Brothers Grimm, 2005
I was hoping for more from Terry Gilliam. I mean, it is a fun film but it just can’t hold a candle to Gilliam’s other films like 12 Monkeys, Brazil, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
The Skeleton Key, 2005
A suspense story with a little ghost action. I give it a so-so rating, it entertained me.
Y Tu Mama Tambien, 2001
A highly sexual story about friendship, life, love, and loss. I highly recommend this.
Catch 22, 1970
I tried reading this book once a long while ago and it blew my mind — the movie showed me why. This is now one of my favorite wartime classics films, (From Here to Eternity is still on top). Rent this movie if you like dry, dark humor about the insanity of war.
House of D, 2004
Robin Williams proves that he still has it. This is a heartwarming tale that is told subtly yet with passion My only complaint is David Duchovny— whenever I hear his voice, I hear Mulder. Hopefully, that will change someday. I must say though, he wrote and directed a great movie.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith, 2005
Bah. All I can say is it was exactly what I expected. Not much.
Land of the Dead, 2005
I really wanted more zombie action! They seemed too focused on the people and their internal struggles. I felt the zombies were extreamly underused. I really expected more. I’m hoping Undead proves better.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 1939
A classic. A must-see. This movie just warms my heart every time I see it.
Happy Endings, 2005 / 11:14, 2005 / Crash, 2005
It’s strange, these 3 movies all involve separate peoples stories all converging and overlapping to tell one big story. I did not rent them right after one another knowing or planning this.
That said, 11:14 isn’t anything I could recommend. All the characters and the plot seemed too disconnected – it felt too outlandish and fake. Crash I’ve talked about before and you should all see it. Finally, Happy Endings is truly fantastic! Everything felt like it fit and the casting was great. I have never really liked Lisa Kudrow as an actor, but she was awesome in this role. Highly recommended.
Layer Cake, 2004
Bloody brilliant! Why haven’t I heard of this movie before!!! And Daniel Craig is just perfect, I can’t wait to see him as the new James Bond. (Brit he’s your type of guy – rugged and British)
A Place in the Sun, 1951
This is a stunning movie. I am constantly amazed how more believable actors were back then. I must warn you though, this is a tough movie to watch as it’s based on the book An American Tragedy. Not to mention, our hero makes some bad choices throughout the film, making the ending that much more stunning and impactful.
Lords of Dogtown, 2005
Great movie and a great companion to the slightly superior documentary (Dogtown and Z-Boys, 2002). I do like the fact that we got to know more of Jay Adams’ story. If you’ve ever ridden a skateboard you need to pick up these movies.
The Awful Truth, 1937
I must say, this is not my favorite Cary Grant movie, but it was a fun ride. If you’re in the mood for Cary Grant in a funny, romantic, corny, yet sophisticated comedy rent Bringing Up Baby.
Stage Fright, 1950
I was surprised by this Hitchcock picture. It was fun and playful, yet still dark and mysterious. Hitchcock uses a bit of trickery in his storytelling that is just ingenious. I love it.
Sahara, 2005
I didn’t expect this movie would be so much fun. I enjoyed it immensely. It also makes me want to go out and buy a Clive Cussler book.
SLC Punk, 1999
A must-see. Period.
To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962
Another amazing classic. Gregory Peck is the perfect actor.
Adam’s Rib, 1949
A strange battle of the sexes love story which disagreed with me. This is my First Spencer Tracy/Katherine Hepburn film, and it left me quite cold.
Current mood: sick
Currently listening: 2046 Soundtrack
love lost is love found
Love lost is love found. Today, I discovered how much I missed a lost love. I believe that love stripped down to its core is sacrifice. When you feel strongly about something, you make sacrifices for it. Sometimes it goes beyond logic and reason. In fact, sometimes you make the choice to be hurt yourself instead of hurting who you love because their happiness supersedes your own. Love is simply when you are happiest when making the ones you love happy.
I made a choice not too long ago that involved a simple, non-romantic kind of love, although I didn’t know it at the time. In fact, I didn’t know it until about 45mins ago when I turned a key and an engine rumbled back from oblivion. A smile crossed my face and I felt at home again.
My Chevelle lives. At one time, I thought that car was a curse. Now I know it is no more a curse than my mismatched ears. That Chevelle is a part of who I am. I had a chance to sell her after she broke down last month. The guy offered more than she is worth, but I couldn’t do it. That little car and I have been through a lot together. I still won’t have her back till next week, but that drive tonight was all I needed to remind me how much I love that car. Thanks to Jeff down at Star Auto for everything!
Current mood: drunk
Currently reading: The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
now it’s history
Nothing more to say.
No more ace to play.
The winner takes it all.
Current mood: thirsty
Listening to: ABBA Gold
i
This is one of the better surveys I’ve seen.
I Live: a life of pure chance.
I Work: at becoming the best I can be.
I Talk: to myself.
I Wish: I had answers to the question I don’t know.
I Enjoy: when the voices are quiet.
I Look: too hard at everything.
I Find: that life is totally random.
I Smell: the repetition of scents.
I Listen: to the lies and wish they were true.
I Hide: behind masks that I forgot were there.
I pray: there is a higher power other than me.
I Walk: with the ghosts of my past.
I Write: to remember.
I See: a world that may not exist.
I Sing: a song that will never be finished.
I Laugh: to forget.
I Can: become someone to look up to.
I Watch: the world destroy itself.
I dream: of things that could never be.
I Want: to be inspirited.
I Cry: when I am most alive.
I Love: when I am most vulnerable.
I Sometimes: think there is something better.
I Touch: peoples hearts occasionally.
I Hurt: every day.
I Fear: that I will be forgotten.
I Hope: I am not alone.
I Break: down and rebuild myself constantly.
I Quit: saying never.
I Drink: and I am at peace.
I Hug: every chance I get.
I See: things as I am, not as they are.
I Miss: everything.
I Forgive: myself.
I Drive: in circles with no clear destination.
I Have: strength and willpower but no guidance.
I Don’t: feel enough.
I Kiss: when I am overcome.
I Believe: that all supposedly selfless acts are entirely selfish.
I Feel: anger is the most useless emotion.
I Know: there’s only one instant, and it’s right now.
I wonder: when I will stop believing in the unbelievable.
Current mood: hungry
Currently listening: S.C.I.E.N.C.E. By Incubus
choices
There are always things you wish you did in hindsight. Some are small and some can be huge. And sometimes the small ones can be the most important. People make choices every day that will affect others we know and those we don’t, more than we will ever know. I don’t use fate or ”things happen for a reason” as a crutch. Good or bad, my choices in life have brought me to where I am today. However, sometimes things happen that open your eyes and show you how awesome every little choice is.
My cousin is dead by his own hand. We were never very close and in many ways that makes it worse because that was a choice. For both of us, I guess. Still, I wasn’t there when he needed someone. And if I had made different choices, he might not have done the things he did. I could have helped and I might have made a difference, the difference. I’ll never know. It’s a difficult reminder that my choices have consequences and I have to live with every single one of them. The world is what it is because of me. And every one of you.
“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”
—Eleanor Roosevelt
“And everyone makes mistakes these days…nobody’s perfect
But the choices that you make may involve someone else.”—The Ataris
Current mood: crappy / angry / sad
you think you know who you are? you have no idea
It’s about strangers meeting strangers.
It’s about how we treat one another.
It’s about the reasons we act the way we do.
It’s about the things we don’t say.
It’s about you.
It’s about me.
It’s about the person you don’t want to know.
It’s a movie you should see.
It’s Crash.
“It’s the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We’re always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something.”
—Crash
Current mood: contemplative
Currently watching: Crash
a birthday, a bar, and friends
This is an open invite for all you people who know me and still like me to join together on Friday at Stubricks in Fullerton as I take another step in that inescapable dance towards death.
29 years ago, I popped into this world changing countless lives for better and for worse. I ask you to join me in a drink to celebrate our pasts and rejoice in the here and now! If there is anything I’ve learned in all my countless days alive, it is to live the moment. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever and you only have a precious few to begin with.
-dean
“I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.”
—John Burrough
“If you mean whiskey, the devil’s brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean that evil drink that topples Christian men and women from the pinnacles of righteous and gracious living into the bottomless pits of degradation, shame, despair, helplessness, and hopelessness, then, my friend, I am opposed to it with every fiber of my being.
However, if by whiskey you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the elixir of life, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer, the stimulating sip that puts a little spring in the step of an elderly gentleman on a frosty morning; if you mean that drink that enables man to magnify his joy, and to forget life’s great tragedies and heartbreaks and sorrow; if you mean that drink the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars each year, that provides tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitifully aged and infirm, to build the finest highways, hospitals, universities, and community colleges in this nation, then my friend, I am absolutely, unequivocally in favor of it.
This is my position, and as always, I refuse to be compromised on matters of principle.”
—Noah S. “Soggy” Sweat, Jr.
Current mood: thoughtful
Currently reading: Reflections on the Art of Living: Joseph Campbell Companion by Diane Osbon
elvis lives
Bubba Ho-Tep is a must-see, especially for Bruce Campbell fans. Now, I always hate movie reviews that talk about the plot. You’ve either seen the movie and already know the plot or haven’t seen it and don’t want the movie spoiled. But here, the plot is all I’m going to give to you because I think it sells the movie better than anything I could say otherwise.
The plot: Elvis and JFK join forces to save a nursing home from an ancient Evil.
“I’ll be damned if I let some foreign, graffiti writing, soul sucking son of a bitch in an over-sized cowboy hat and boots take my friend’s souls and shit them down the visitor’s toilet.”
—Elvis
Currently watching: Bubba Ho-Tep
an announcement
It seems this time next year I’ll be an uncle. My sister made the announcement tonight and I must say that it left me feeling a bit bewildered, confused, and pensive. I guess I had just accepted I would never have a little niece or nephew. On one hand, I’m really excited and happy for her, on the other, concerned. I wish she was at a better place in her life before this had happened. Most of all and selfishly, this has just left me a bit reflective on the direction my own life is going. Man, I need a drink.
Current mood: contemplative