Netflix Reviewer Ranking: 97,359

BAM! I broke 100,000 on the Netflix reviewer ranking scale. Not that anyone knows how they even measure the thing. I want to get even higher, but I've seen both some pretty astounding and lackluster repertoires ahead of me, so I'm not sure how it'll go. I still haven't even seen number one yet.

Last Week in Review: 10/27 - 11/02

Movies
Where the Wild Things Are
This movie... This. Movie. What can I say? I am in love with this movie. The sets were just so creative, Max just too cute and perfect for the role, the dialogue just so simple and smart and funny and heart-wrenching... It's a movie that makes you think, makes you cry and laugh, makes you genuinely happy that you paid money to experience its tremendous joy and sadness. I want to see it again. And again and again. I will gladly pay for the DVD when it comes out.

Ira: "Hi, I'm Ira. I put the holes in the trees."

Monsieur Verdoux
I'm not gonna lie: this was a funny-ass movie. Dark as hell, but funny as fuck. Charlie Chaplin's role as a man who earns a living by marrying rich women and killing them earned him almost no money in the box office and the official designation of Communist. It was his first flop and it nearly killed his career. But perhaps this movie can be better appreciated after its time. It's a dark satire with slapstick comedy, murder, and a message for the world you don't see coming.

Henri Verdoux: "Business is a ruthless business, my dear."

Television
Dollhouse S01 E00 Unaired Pilot "Echo"
The unaired pilot of "Dollhouse" compresses most of the plot points of the season's first four episodes into one simple yet highly energetic hour. For reasons unknown, FOX decided that Joss Whedon needed to flesh out the introduction, which nearly led to the show's early demise. Poor planning on their part, as a quick introduction to an awesome ensemble cast would have held more viewers than the Dushku-heavy, episodic formula featured with the series' debut.

Echo: "Did I fall asleep?"

Dollhouse S01 E13 Special for DVD "Epitaph One"
Speaking of "Dollhouse" and FOX's continuing epic fail, here's an episode only available on the DVD release. Set 10 or so years in the future, the technology that allows the Dollhouse to wipe and imprint their dolls has released into the wrong hands. Now all a foreign invader needs to do is make a call and anyone who answers will get their minds wiped so that they turn into killing machines. All technology is a danger to the survivors. And let me tell you: this is one episode everyone will want to see. Joss Whedon must have thought that the show would end after only one season (like most of the rest of the world), so he gave it his all and came through with probably the best episode of the series so far, showing an apocalyptic future most likely never to be seen on primetime television. But the show must go on, and now that the second season is here (probably to his surprise as much as ours), we get to see just how this future will unfold. And with a little luck, we'll get to see that future as well. Don't you fuck this up, FOX!

Topher Brink: “If I can figure things out, is that curiosity or arrogance?”

Last Week in Review: 10/20 - 10/26

Movies
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
Let's face it: he's just not Batman unless he's voiced by Kevin Conroy. He's been cartoon Batman all through Batman: The Animated Series, Batman and Superman, Batman Beyond, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, AND The Batman series. So I was sort of disappointed when Justice League: The New Frontier featured old-fat-man voice. But now he's back. Oh Conroy, how I love thee. But back to the movie. The story is like a less in-depth version of Marvel's Civil War, where Luthor is president of the US and Batman and Superman are the only ones to resist registering to work for him. What results is a lot of high-powered superfights that are pretty sweet. My only complaints are that Batman and Superman have a more homosexual relationship than usual and that Batman has a device for everything. But otherwise the movie is a lot of fun to watch and I definitely recommend it to anyone who loved their old 90's Batman or Superman cartoons.

Batman: "I suppose it's useless to tell you to leave."
Superman: "I wouldn't miss this for anything."
Batman: "Your funeral."
Superman: "Already had one."

Guilty by Suspicion
This was the latest of the movies we watched in my Film Dissent class. It's a pretty obvious choice why we watched it, no metaphors like The Crucible or Salt of the Earth. Robert De Niro is a director who refuses to go up against the House Committee on Un-American Activities and name his friends as Communists. As such, he becomes blacklisted from any job that even remotely has to do with movies. He spends the rest of the movie trying to find a place in the movie business without throwing his friends under the bus. It's not the greatest movie, but young De Niro is awesome and the final confrontation leaves in chills.

David Merrill: "Fuck them."

The Lady Eve
This is such a weird movie. It's a nice mix between slapstick and screwball, and the jokes and awkward situations are ridiculously funny. After a certain point, the plot makes absolutely no sense, but that only adds to the overall hilarity.

Jean Harrington: "They say a moonlit deck is a woman's business office."

Chinatown
This is a classic for a reason. This film noir-style movie stars Jack Nicholson as a badass private detective who's been fooled once and off to uncover at city-wide conspiracy. The dialogue is raw and the storyline is action-packed and compelling. It's not so much a movie about bringing the bad guys to justice as it is about one man's fight against the system and his dedication to discovering the truth. It's also nice to be able to say, "I've been there!" when San Pedro and the Valley show up.

Jake Gittes: "You're dumber than you think I think you are."

A Serious Man
Up until yesterday, Up in the Air was probably my favorite movie of the year, but now I'm not so sure. A Serious Man only asks questions but doesn't give any clear answers, which is probably why I was left with the sense that something profound just happened, but not sure what. It's a movie about how bad things happen to people, no matter if they're a follower of religion or science, good or bad. But it's a great film, and a worthy addition to the name of Coen.

Clive's Father: "Please, accept the mystery."

Tell No One [Ne le dis à personne]
I'm sorry to say that despite its glowing reviews, Tell No One wasn't all that spectacular. The first hour is wonderfully paced and incredibly intriguing, just the right mix of action and mystery. But then you realize there's another hour to go, and the movie gets bogged down in the explanation it spent the first hour building up to. There's a lot of extraneous information in that last half and the twists don't give you whiplash, more of a "Hm. Nifty" than anything. Cut about half an hour out of the picture and you'd get a perfectly paced, amazing movie.

His Girl Friday
The writing is so good in this movie, you have no idea. Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell play off each other wonderfully and the movie feels like a well-choreographed play, where lulls in one conversation yield to the high points in others. It's crazy funny and crazy ridiculous, leaving me very satisfied upon its completion. Why can't actual journalism be as fun-looking as this movie makes it out to be?

Hildy Johnson: "Walter, you're wonderful, in a loathsome sort of way."

Television
How I Met Your Mother S04
Season 4 continues along the show's wonderful path of great stories, funny dialogue, and dramatic irony. Each of the characters bring something different to the table, and the benefits from each of their presence. I'm already excited to catch up with the latest season.

Barney: "It's going to be legend - wait for it, and I hope you're not lactose intolerant because the second half of that word is DAIRY!"

Last Weeks in Review: 10/06 - 10/19

Movies
Adventureland
Adventureland isn't the greatest comedy, it's funny moments are few and far between, but each of those moments pack a huge punch. Kristen Stewart is in a wonderful role (aka not Twilight) and very likable (likeable?). The storyline is pretty standard and relatively predictable, but you'll have a damn fun time watching it.

Eric: "Fuck this weed is good."

The Crucible
As far as Daniel Day-Lewis movies go, The Crucible isn't his best, but he is still the reason to watch it. I don't remember many of the details of the original screenplay from my high schoolin' days, but apparently there's enough of a difference to warrant classroom discussions. Either way, it's a powerful movie, and if you watch it for no other reason, watch it so Day-Lewis can say this:

John Proctor: "It is not on a boat we'll meet again Abigail, but in hell."

Brazil
I don't think I'm as enamored with this movie as I should be. I appreciate that this is a high budget movie that sets aside all conventional storytelling methods, but I can't bring myself to say that I truly enjoyed it. This social commentary/parody is called Brazil because of the featured song of the same title, not because it's set in Brazil. Apparently, the American studios disagreed with the title and decided instead on "Love Conquers All." The history behind the movie is fairly interesting, as (much like Blade Runner) there are multiple cuts of this movie: the British cut, the bastardized American cut, and the 2+ hours true cut, only available on DVD. Probably the best parts of the whole movie are Kim Greist's haircut and Robert De Niro in a superbly funny role.

Guard: "Don't fight it son. Confess quickly! If you hold out too long you could jeopardize your credit rating."

Zombieland
Don't let anyone tell you anything about this movie except for how amazingly brilliant it is. So if you choose not to continue reading this review, I would understand. But nothing really matters in this movie, besides how people are killed by zombies, how people kill zombies, and the best cameo since Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder.

Columbus: "Fuck this clown."

Up in the Air
I was lucky enough to see a pre-screening of this movie in Berkeley last week with Andrew, and director Jason Reitman (Juno, Thank You For Smoking)was also there to answer questions afterwards. Both the movie and the interview were supremely entertaining. Of Reitman's works, his newest movie is definitely my favorite. George Clooney is awesome as always, the storyline is perfectly developed, and the dramatic moments are powerful and the comedic ones are side-splitting. At the Q&A, Reitman said he "wanted to make a movie where a guy discovers the importance of companionship through loss," and he definitely pulled it off.

Ryan: "Make no mistake, moving is living. Some animals were meant to carry each other to live symbiotically over a lifetime. Star crossed lovers, monogamous swans. We are not swans. We are sharks."

Outlander
This recent movie is all sorts of strange. The "Outlander" is actually an alien human who crash-lands on Iron-Age Earth carrying a deadly monster that glows red and is impervious to iron. He must team up with the local Vikings in an attempt to destroy the monster, and maybe along way...find himself. It's not an altogether cheesy movie, the dialogue is full of thees and thous but the effects are pretty sweet. The monster itself is all sorts of awesome and you only half care about the human characters. It's a good waste of an hour and a half, especially with friends.

Priest: "I command thee Lucifer: quit this place!" [dies]

Event Horizon
Seven years ago in the distant future, Dr. Weir created a space-ship that could rip a hole in space-time and travel instantly to anywhere in the universe. But the ship disappeared and has only just returned. But when the team goes to check it out, the ship begins to mess with everyone's heads, making them see things and making escape impossible. In most thrillers, everyone does everything wrong: staying too long, splitting up, investigating a noise. But in this movie, Laurence Fishburne's character does everything right, which is a nice refresher. It's not as scary as my roommate would make you think, but it is a damn sweet thriller.

Miller: Okay, Dr. Weir. You don't want to leave your ship? You never will.

Television
How I Met Your Mother S01-S03
I figured that if Ted's kids can listen to the story of how he met their mother for four seasons, I could give it a chance too. And I'm glad I did. The characters are awesome and the stories are incredibly funny. It's only downside is that the episodes are 20 minutes long without commercials, so it's really easy to watch 5 or 6 in a row without even thinking about it.

Barney: "It's going to be legen--wait for it--dary!"

Comics
Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon
How can Joss Whedon be so awesome? The man who gave us Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse, Firefly, and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is no stranger to comic book writing, having continued many of his short-lived television series in comic form. But the 25 issue arc of Astonishing X-Men is probably some of the best writing in a comic series that I have ever had the pleasure to read. The storyline is phenomenal, the character development is intense, and the one-liners are stupendously funny. I read somewhere that Whedon based his character Buffy off of Shadowcat, so it's no surprise that his most endearing and centralized character is none other than Kitty Pride herself. Whedon considers the X-Men continuity "hectic and unfollowable" so he doesn't even bother with it. Which is good, because this is the first comic series I've read in the 616 universe, and I would have no idea what is going on.

Cyclops: "What's plan B?"
Brand: "We all die now."
Cyclops: "What's plan C?"

65 Countries Have Submitted a Film for the 82nd Academy Awards Best Foreign Picture Category

The 2009 submissions are:

(The links are to the trailers I could find... No guarantee of English subtitles)

Albania, Alive!, Artan Minarolli, director;

Argentina, El Secreto de Sus Ojos, Juan Jose Campanella, director;

Armenia, Autumn of the Magician, Rouben Kevorkov and Vaheh Kevorkov, directors;

Australia, Samson & Delilah, Warwick Thornton, director;

Austria, For a Moment of Freedom, Arash T. Riahi, director;

Bangladesh, Beyond the Circle, Golam Rabbany Biplob, director;

Belgium, The Misfortunates, Felix van Groeningen, director;

Bolivia, Zona Sur, Juan Carlos Valdivia, director;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nightguards, Namik Kabil, director;

Brazil, Time of Fear, Sergio Rezende, director;

Bulgaria, The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner, Stephan Komandarev, director;

Canada, I Killed My Mother, Xavier Dolan, director;

Chile, Dawson, Isla 10, Miguel Littin, director;

China, Forever Enthralled, Chen Kaige, director;

Colombia, The Wind Journeys, Ciro Guerra, director;

Croatia, Donkey, Antonio Nuic, director;

Cuba, Fallen Gods, Ernesto Daranas, director;

Czech Republic, Protektor, Marek Najbrt, director;

Denmark, Terribly Happy, Henrik Ruben Genz, director;

Estonia, December Heat, Asko Kase, director;

Finland, Letters to Father Jacob, Klaus Haro, director;

France, Un Prophete, Jacques Audiard, director;

Georgia, The Other Bank, George Ovashvili, director;

Germany, The White Ribbon, Michael Haneke, director;

Greece, Slaves in Their Bonds, Tony Lykouressis, director;

Hong Kong, Prince of Tears, Yonfan, director;

Hungary, Chameleon, Krisztina Goda, director;

Iceland, Reykjavik-Rotterdam, Oskar Jonasson, director;

India, Harishchandrachi Factory, Paresh Mokashi, director;

Indonesia, Jamila and the President, Ratna Sarumpaet;

Iran, About Elly, Asghar Farhadi, director;

Israel, Ajami, Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, director;

Italy, Baaria, Giuseppe Tornatore, director;

Japan, Nobody to Watch over Me, Ryoichi Kimizuka, director;

Kazakhstan, Kelin, Ermek Tursunov, director;

Korea, Mother, Joon-ho Bong, director;

Lithuania, Vortex, Gytis Luksas, director;

Luxembourg, Refractaire, Nicolas Steil, director;

Macedonia, Wingless, Ivo Trajkov, director;

Mexico, Backyard, Carlos Carrera, director;

Morocco, Casanegra, Nour-Eddine Lakhmari, director;

The Netherlands, Winter in Wartime, Martin Koolhoven, director;

Norway, Max Manus, Espen Sandberg and Joachim Roenning, directors;

Peru, The Milk of Sorrow, Claudia Llosa, director;

Philippines, Grandpa Is Dead, Soxie H. Topacio, director;

Poland, Reverse, Borys Lankosz, director;

Portugal, Doomed Love, Mario Barroso, director;

Puerto Rico, Kabo and Platon, Edmundo H. Rodriguez, director;

Romania, Police, Adjective, Corneliu Porumboiu, director;

Russia, Ward No. 6, Karen Shakhnazarov, director;

Serbia, St. George Shoots the Dragon, Srdjan Dragojevic, director;

Slovakia, Broken Promise, Jiri Chlumsky, director;

Slovenia, Landscape No. 2, Vinko Moderndorfer, director;

South Africa, White Wedding, Jann Turner, director;

Spain, The Dancer and the Thief, Fernando Trueba, director;

Sri Lanka, The Road from Elephant Pass, Chandran Rutnam;

Sweden, Involuntary, Ruben Ostlund, director;

Switzerland, Home, Ursula Meier, director;

Taiwan, No Puedo Vivir sin Ti, Leon Dai, director;

Thailand, Best of Times, Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, director;

Turkey, I Saw the Sun, Mahsun Kirmizigul, director;

United Kingdom, Afghan Star, Havana Marking, director;

Uruguay, Bad Day for Fishing, Alvaro Brechner, director;

Venezuela, Libertador Morales, El Justiciero, Efterpi Charalambidis, director;

Vietnam, Don’t Burn It, Dang Nhat Minh.

And guess what? I haven't seen any of these movies. I gotta get on the ball. I've seen the trailer for Mother, which was directed by the guy who did The Host, so that'll probably be the first of my explorations. Of these 65, 5 will be selected for official nominations on February 2nd, 2010.

Joe, when you see Emily, tell her to wait for me. 'Cause I still have links to do.

This is the greatest thing ever. Click to enlarge. Thank you Cody.

FUCK YOU CAT is probably my new favorite blog about people who don't like cats. And don't worry, no bestiality.

Stephen Fry sees the funniest thing ever: "You are being shagged by a rare parrot." (BBC)

T-Pain autotunes Obama. One from Wyatt. (Viral Video Chart)

8 'Adorable' Videos that Qualify as Animal Cruelty. (Cracked)

Unskippable: Dark Messiah. (Escapist)

The Legend of Neil: Season 2 Episode 6. (Atom)

What Ponyo can teach us about storytelling. (Go Into the Story)

Man, this I'mma Let You Finish Kanye thing is really making the rounds. Another from Wyatt.

A big-ass poster on movies that bombed. (Daily Fill)

A series of screenshots from Ghostbusters and how the New York backdrop has changed since then. (Scouting NY)

This... is the second coolest thing ever:

27 Movies About the Difficulty of Making Movies. (AV Club)

10 Essential Superman Comics to Help You Forget Smallville. (io9)

Remember that 2012 5-minute clip where John Cusack outruns an earthquake? Well here's the same video, except without all the action: just the actors. (YouTube)

Sexual Favor Fail. (College Humor)

10 'Oh Crap, I'm Going to Die' Moments. (I Am Bored)

The Hottest Serial Killers according to Pajiba.

Why Zombies Make Better Horror Movies than Vampires. Scientific evidence people. (Cinematical)

Last Week in Review: 9/29 - 10/05

Movies
The Big Boss [Tang shan da xiong]
I started this sometime last year with my little brother, but sadly we were unable to finish the last 20 minutes or so. This Bruce Lee epic is not one of his best, but he is definitely on top of his game. The fight scenes are wonderfully choreographed, except when it was edited together to make it look like Lee could practically fly when he jumped. Indeed, many of the editing choices were extraordinarily distracting to an otherwise fun kung-fu movie. Of the three Bruce Lee movies I've seen (Game of Death and Enter the Dragon being the other two), this is my least favorite. But that's not to say that this isn't an essential Bruce Lee movie, since there aren't many to begin with.

Bruce Lee: "Beat it or I'll kill you right now."

Samurai Fiction
I'm pretty sure this movie is meant to be a parody of older samurai movies like Seven Samurai and Sanjuro because this was a hilarious movie. I imagine that if you haven't seen a lot of old Japanese samurai flicks, this movie wouldn't be as appealing, but it does have its high points. Even though the movie was filmed in 1998, it's in black & white; however, splashes of red and blue do cover the screen every once in a while, most notably when someone dies. The intro sequence is enough to see the movie by itself, as it depicts the silhouettes of two samurai fighting against a red background. Quentin Tarantino copied this in Kill Bill, except with a blue one.

Kanzen Inukai: "You don't have to enter through the ceiling, you know."
Kagemaru: "I'm sorry, but as an old ninja, I don't really know how to enter from anywhere else."

The Good, the Bad, the Weird [Joheun-nom, Nabbeun-nom, Isanghan-nom]
Oh man, what a crazy movie. This is South Korea's most expensive movie to date. And for good reason: this Asian western comedy is two and a half hours of legendary gunfights, Battle-of-Five-Armies-status horseback chases, Mexican standoffs, and train robberies. Yeah, that's right: I said "legendary." There's great acting and the plot is extraordinarily unpredictable. But the camera techniques are what set this apart from other movies. Take the horseback chase. Of course there are the sweeping camera angles over the desert, but amidst that you also get a camera set on top of a firing machine gun, showing only blurry shaky figures getting gunned down. Or someone filming from horseback using a Steady-cam, so you get a clear shot jostled up and down like you were riding alongside them. It's a crazy funny movie as well, so expect your money's (or download's) worth. Thanks Dad, for the recommendation.

The Bad: "People must know that they're going to die, and yet they live as though they never will. Hilarious."

Television
Castle S01
This isn't the greatest show on television by any stretch, but it's still one of the best cop shows out there. Nathan Fillion (*swoon*) is a crime fiction writer who tags along with the tough-girl detective, who he plans to base his next lead character off of. The general detective work is a little mundane, but the writing makes up for it. Besides, I really only watched the show for Fillion, who is of course awesome. And finally, he gets a show that lasts beyond one season.

So it was a Asian flick weekend, since I didn't watch many movies during the week. I plan to keep up the theme of watching foreign movies, especially the ones my dad sends me. So that means I'll try to watch both Flame & Citron and both parts of Mesrine this week. And of course I still have a couple of Andrew's movies that I haven't watched yet. For television, I downloaded some more anime like Witchblade and Ranma 1/2. But I think I'll stay focused on my four seasons of How I Met Your Mother. I'm definitely reading more than I was. I finished the 4th Dresden Files book and started The Strain as well as the first volume of The Astonishing X-Men. And I can't seem to stop listening to The Protomen's Act II: The Father of Death. But can you blame me?

52 Foreign Films - La Strada - Review

La Strada
Year Released: 1956
Year it Won the Academy Award: 1957 (29th)
Submitting Country: Italy
Language: Italian
Director: Federico Fellini

La Strada was the first movie to officially win an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film and it's director, Federico Fellini, is considered one of the greatest foreign directors of all time. In the academy, he was nominated 8 times for Best Writing, 4 times for Best Director, and 3 of his movies won Best Foreign Film. We're talking about a master filmmaker here.

La Strada (translated as "the road"), falls under the genre of "Italian Neorealism," which refers to films set among the poor and desperate and are often shot on location. Gelsomina, a young far-away girl is sold by her mother to a traveling entertainer. Zampono is a strongman and needs an assistant for his act, except he mistreats Gelsomina, and she eventually wants to run away. The Fool, another circus man, aggravates Zampono to no end, but suggests secretly to Gelsomina that Zampono may be in love with her.

It's a wonderfully charming movie, despite the hardships faced. Gelsomina is beautifully played by Fellini's wife Giulietta Masina, giving her character powerful moments of emotion and day-dreamy look. Anthony Quinn's Zampono is rough and generally a one-sided character, but when called upon, he carries his weight well in a traumatic scene. The Fool, played by Richard Basehart, is crazy in his dedication to his act, both in the circus ring and when taunting Zampono. La Strada is a sad portraiture of a man too prideful to show how he feels to the quirky girl he forced into his company, and the actors and direction show that beautifully.

Really the only complaint I have is with the introduction done by Martin Scorsese, who presented the DVD release. Except it's not so much an *air quote* "introduction" as it is a *air quote* "plot spoiler." It's a great little interview where Scorsese explains why he loves the movie and how he knew Fellini way back when. And it would have been wonderful to watch after the film's completion. But it was called an "introduction" so I watched it first. So the whole plot was ruined for me, but don't let the same thing happen to you. Movie first. Introduction second. Enjoy.

#6/52
46 more to go

Link! Hey! Listen!

Movie Posters for Minimalists. Check out the rest here. Courtesy of Andrew.

The 25 Best Whedonverse Episodes. And now I have to start watching Buffy don't I? (Yahoo!)

25 Funny Google Search Suggestions. (Holy Taco)

A Cracked photoshop contest: If History's Greatest Minds Lived in the Modern World.

Zero Punctuation's newest review: Darkest of Days. (Escapist)

CSI Miami: Endless Caruso One Liners. (YouTube)

Another sweet piece of art having to do with LOST. (I Am Trying To Buy Some Jerkey and a Slushy)

The luckiest baby on the planet. But the nerdiest parents in the universe.

"Star Wars: Uncut" is a project where all of the scenes from Episode IV will be redone by nerdy fans in any way they want. This is the trailer. At first I was put off, but then I sort of warmed up to it.

What happens when you combine Terminator and Back to the Future? Crazy awesomeness, that's what. Thanks to Andrew for this one. (YouTube)

The story of Bioshock told in bedtime story form. One from Wyatt. (GT)

"WALL-E: The Cannibal Years." How else has that little robot survived for so long? (YouTube)

This is a really cool montage of cinema's best human villians. Watch it. (YouTube)

Just a really sweet piece of fanart. Wyatt's a nerd.

7 Hilariously Failed Attempts at Politically Correct Toys. (Cracked)

Here are 32 photos of NFL football fanatics. These people are crazy. (The Chive)

What if our beloved video game characters had Facebook status updates? Well, here are the five best examples. Last one from Wyatt. (College Humor)

13 Actresses Who've Double-Dipped in the Lesbian Kiss Department. (The Frisky)

Al Franken could draw the US from memory. These people definitely can't. (Lemon Drop)

Sesame Street does Mad Men. Sesame Street always does the best parodies. (YouTube)

And finally, your Tweet of the Day:

Shitmydadsays: "You're like a tornado of bullshit right now. We'll talk again after your bullshit dies out over someone else's house."

Last Week in Review: 9/22 - 9/28

Movies
Battle Royale
The best way to describe this movie is to say it's a real life anime. Not that that's a bad thing, mind you. It's just a completely ridiculous movie, with all the elements of an anime that make it work. The premise is that in the near future, the government has begun a program that pits a bunch of middle school students against each other in a battle for survival. They must either kill each other until the last one is dead, or die anyway. It's a good, fun movie and you should probably watch it. Or not, it's not the most essential foreign movie. But you can't expect every foreign movie to be award winning, so expect a good ol' time.

The Molly Maguires
I watched this one for last week's Film Dissent + Blacklist class. I wasn't sure why we were watching it, considering the movie was about coal miners and a group of people trying to sabotage it. But after a bit of IMDb-ing, I found out it was written and directed by the same team behind the previous week's The Front: Martin Ritt and Walter Bernstein. Both of these men were blacklisted during the McCarthy era, so it makes sense. But back to the movie. Young Sean Connery and his mustache are sabotaging a coal mine with explosives, and it is up to young Richard Harris (1st Dumbledore) and HIS mustache to infiltrate Connery's group and stop him. It's a good movie. The plot is slow but steady and both Harris' and Connery's performances are phenomenal.

The Hangover
Well, I finally saw it. Like everyone and their mother said I should. And I loved it. Like everyone and their mother said I would. What more needs to be said? Other than how unnecessary a Hangover 2 would be.






Books
Safe Area Gorazde by Joe Sacco
My dad gave me this book for my birthday because I love graphic novels and I'm a journalism major. Oh, and because he loves me. This is a non-fiction graphic novel about the UN-deemed safe zone Gorazde in war-torn Bosnia during the Bosnian War. While the UN was attempting to stay neutral and unobtrusive, the Muslim residents of Gorazde were being killed and ransacked by their former Serbian neighbors. Several years later, when a road has been opened back up, journalist Joe Sacco goes in and stays for extended periods with the people as they rebuild. He stays with them, laughs with them, eats and drinks with them, and is generally accepted within their small town. He tells their stories in flashback form while also showing how they're coping with rebuilding and once again associating with the outside world. It's a powerful book, especially depicted in graphic novel form, and reading it is a necessity.

Fade to Blue by Sean Beaudoin
This is one mindfuck of a book. One year ago, the goth girl Sophie Blue was kidnapped by her father and injected her with something in her elbow. Then her father disappeared. Today, she's dealing with a crazy mother, multiple house break-ins, and a demon ice-cream truck. Kenny Fade is the star basketball player at school. But he's starting to lose his edge, and everyone around him is acting strangely. Both are starting to lose their minds, and as reality itself begins to unravel around them, a crazy evil genetic lab experiment becomes the center of their problems. But how are Blue and Sophie connected? Why are is the ice-cream truck trying to kill her. Where did the zombies come from? Only reading the book will tell.

Music
"Act II: The Father of Death" by The Protomen
As you may have guessed, I love the Protomen. Their first album is effing amazing, and probably one of my favorite albums of all time. Act II: The Father of Death is a close second. Act II takes place many years before the The Protomen, just before Dr. Light and Dr. Wily are about to throw the switch to activate their legion of robot helpers. But Light is having last-minute misgivings, and soon enough Wily betrays him and kills the woman he loves. Now Light is on the run and must find a way to stop his once-trusted comrade. Like the first album, the listening experience is not complete without the album liners, as they add layers of story within the instrumental sections. I don't find many CDs that I can listen to over 10 times in less than 3 days, but this is definitely one of them.