Ninguat, ninguat, ninguat....

I've got a few movies to give my spiel about, but I'm far too tired/sick to say as much as I might otherwise. They are:

-A Very Long Engagement (or, "Un Long Dimanche de Fiançailles") Practically perfect in every way. I loved this movie. It had all the right elements- action, drama, a little comedy, romance, a bittersweet ending...Really well done. Definite recommendation.

-Priceless (or, "Hors de Prix") The only reason I watched this is because I decided I have a girl crush on Audrey Tautou, and this movie showed up on my Instant Views on Netflix. Another French film, obviously- not nearly as good. But that can only be expected when you read the summary... it's a silly "romantic comedy" (not exactly the same as what we're used to) and I enjoyed it a bit, but it really wasn't that great unless you want some eye candy and enjoy hearing French. Which I do.

-Annie Hall Oh this movie was great. I never really thought I'd be a Woody Allen fan, and I still don't know if I am...Matchpoint was a VERY different type of movie, so I feel like I can't even compare the two. Allen and Diane Keaton were great in this movie, and I loved the random appearances by all too familiar faces, including, but not limited to: Christopher Walken (with such a baby face, he was already in his 30s but he looks soooo young! I couldn't believe it!), the mom from the Shining (I didn't even know she was in anything else, but I'm undereducated), and my personal favorite, Jeff Goldblum! He's literally in the movie for 3 seconds, but what a glorious 3 seconds. I always knew there was this underlying sex appeal lying deep in his Ian Malcolm/Alistair Hennessey-ness, but those 3 seconds will blow the doubt out of ANYBODY'S head. I was startled. Besides that, though, I just enjoyed the movie altogether-Woody Allen is very funny. And I loved seeing Brooklyn in the 70's. Also, the way LA is characterized is amusing, and I'm curious as to how similar/dissimilar the two cities are today versus 30 years ago (when they were characterized as polar opposites).

Anyway, I know those are pretty pathetic and I sound like an 8 year old trying to pen a one page essay on a movie I've watched recently, but honestly my brain feels like an 8 year old's right now. So forgive me.

In other news, it snowed here in NYC this past weekend and was quite lovely. Here are some moments which I wish to share.

Napoleon's first romp in the snow

My apartment the night it started snowing

These guys

New advertisement for "Express for Dogs"

P.S. "Ninguat" (x3), also the title of my newest Facebook album- "Let It Snow" (x3, obviously)

Infans Venit!

The past several nights I've wanted to watch a Christmas movie. But alas, I did not have enough foresight in my Netflix choices to arrange such a thing. Granted, I could go in and switch up my queue, but I have this silly thing about not wanting to remember what I put on there so it's a "surprise" when they come (something I think I mentioned before). So with the queue I will not mess. I did watch Blood Diamond (which I actually bought a couple months ago) the other night and it was excellent- just as eye-opening as everyone claims. See it.

Anyway, tonight's movie was Children of Men. I remember when I first heard about it I was interested, but never enough to actually see it. But my friend Chris had recommended it (along with almost all the movies on my queue). So as I was watching, I wasn't loving it. It was really depressing, and too many people were dying. But....okay, if you haven't seen it, the basic premise is that sometime in 2009 all women became infertile, and by the year 2027 all of earth has gone haywire. Everyone is killing everyone. You know. There are secret groups, that kind of thing. Anyway, suddenly this girl shows up and she's pregnant. So a few people are trying to get her to "safety" without exposing to the world that she has a baby (and I didn't really understand what that safety was...). So there's all this shooting, all this dying, and at one point the baby's crying and there's a ceasefire. The girl walks downstairs with her crying baby, and all the people freeze and are staring and crying and kneeling. I started crying. I couldn't understand what it must be like to not see or hear a baby for 18 years, and suddenly one appears. One that causes everyone to be silent and stop fighting and fall on their knees in awe and confusion. And then, 30 seconds later, the firing begins again, and the miraculous child is forgotten.

Anyway, I kind of got my Christmas movie. In a bizarre way.

P.S. "Infans Venit" - "The Child has come"

Conspicere est Illustrari

I'm not one to claim any talent in reviewing things. I.E., books, bands, movies, etc. That being said, I've already shared books I've been reading or movies I've seen recently, without any comment concerning my enjoyment of them. Not even a good old-fashioned thumbs up or down (very old-fashioned, those Romans). So rather than attempting to sound all knowledgeable about what makes a good movie or book, I'll just tell you flat our in very simple sentences what I think.

So I recently joined Netflix, and these were my first 3 movies:

Matchpoint. My first Woody Allen movie. Very Hitchcockian. Erotic, but not in an uncomfortable way. Intriguing. I hadn't really seen Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in any other movie other than this very obscure TV movie called "Gormenghast" that appeared on TV when I was in 8th grade (our family took a particular fancy to it), and I thought he was excellent. You don't even realize you're watching a Suspense until the end. Recommended.

Thank You For Smoking. Oh, Aaron Eckhart. He's pretty great in this movie. Unfortunately, and I'm sorry to admit this, I was distracted almost the entire movie, and therefore am positive I missed about half of the snarkiness (probably not a word). It was very entertaining and smart. Katie Holmes was dumb (but is anyone shocked?). Not what I was expecting, and pleasantly surprising.

Everything is Illuminated. I knew nothing about this movie going into it except that every time I passed it in the movie store it caught my eye. Probably because of the sunflowers. And who knew Ukraine was so beautiful? Anyway, at first this movie charmed me because of its Little Miss Sunshine-esque road trip. Elijah Wood was almost uncomfortably awkward the entire movie. But as it progressed, the tone became sadder, more unsettling. By the end I was a little choked up, but not as much as during, say, Homeward Bound. No comparison? You're right. Is this worth seeing? I think so.

Aaaaaaanyway. I'd tell you what's up next, but I purposely don't check my queue so it's a surprise every time. Boy do I live a life of adventure....

P.S. "Conspicere est Illustrari" - "To watch/view is to be enlightened/illuminated"

Vulpes Vulpes

Also, I saw Fantastic Mr. Fox on Saturday night. I loved it. A lot.

So, I went and saw it again on Sunday night. And loved it even more.

Please, please see it.

Propositum....

I'm afraid that the lack of interest in my blog is perhaps a result of my care-free entries. They do not follow any patterns, they are not on one any particular subject, they are not even necessarily interesting to anyone. They are, in essence, stereotypical "write about my life" entries.

Is that so bad? I too need a creative outlet. I can't write music. My room is too cramped for interpretive dance. Writing on this silly thing allows me to express myself, at least to a certain degree. I may not be an eloquent or fascinating writer, but I like to pen (key?) down everyday occurences, as humdrum as they may be.

Whine whine whine. Wine.

P.S. "Propositum" - Intention/Purpose/Objective