I coloured a piece and didn't hate the result! WOOOO!
Beowulf, with added watercolours:
I feel productive! I finished that, then I sent away an application for an 18+ card (photo ID! A good thing to have, apparently), bought my flatmate's birthday present(s) and paid all this month's bills. And then the landlord announced that he'd be coming round this morning to fix a leak originating in our bathroom, so me and Jenni stayed up until 4am cleaning. Ah well, at least I made the kitchen shiny.
The last part of the movie meme! Though there may be a mysterious, 30th question coming. Maybe. You've seen how unreliable my posting schedule is.
Oh, nooooo. I can answer all these questions, I really really can. But to do so honestly, I have to break my rule. My 'no repeating the same movie' rule. It's not even my absolute favourite movie of all time*, it just FITS. So here are my answers, two of which were my very first answer. (It was going to be three, but I restrained myself.)
*It's second, right after 12 Angry Men.
Day 26 - Favorite film poster:
Beautiful and complex is something that appeals to me, yes. But when it comes to promotional material - something which must catch your eye in the space of a glance - I'm a sucker for simple and evocative. Add artwork by Mike Mignola (apparently adapting Hellboy to his satisfaction had perks) and you have a poster I would not only buy, but also frame at great expense and display prominently in the living room of my dream house.
Basically Del Toro and Mignola in any combination makes me do Wall-E eyes. This poster is emblematic of that fact.
Day 27 - A film that you wish you had seen in theaters:
Yay, I don't have to cheat for this one!
The worst part is, I actually had a chance to see this on the big screen - with a free ticket and everything! - but didn't because I couldn't find anyone to see it with me. I think seeing Moon looming at me in a dark and cavernous theatre would have been perfect for getting right into Sam Bell's mental state, since the vast emptiness of the vistas resonate with the predicament he finds himself in. (Since I did a presentation for this, I can reliably tell you that said vistas were mostly good old-fashioned miniatures with CGI for elements like the background of space and the way dirt falls in low gravity. Neat!)
Day 28 - Favorite film from your favorite director:
My honest answer is, again, Pan's Labyrinth, since I haven't seen enough of Sidney Lumet's films to call him a favourite director, which knocks 12 Angry Men out of the running. However, Del Toro has only become my favourite director in recent years, when I got to see all his movies (well, except Cronos) and discovered I loved ALL of them, even Mimic. In fact, Pan's Labyrinth barely squeaks by two other films of his that I love just as much: it's 'sister film', The Devil's Backbone, and in a completely different direction, Hellboy II. The Devil's Backbone is just about the best ghost story I've ever seen (and it's not like Spanish and Japanese cinema haven't given me a damn banquet of them), and Hellboy II... well, Jesus, where else will you see a Catholic Antichrist with a blue-collar attitude and his psychic amphibious best friend get drunk over their lady loves and sing Barry Manilow? NOWHERE. Like I said, Mignola and Del Toro combined is just aslfjalsfkjgfa.
(There was going to be an illustrative YouTube clip here, but the internet has failed to provide me with anything that is a) decent quality and b) in English. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED, YOUTUBE. THE PEOPLE MUST SEE DOUG JONES AND RON PERLMAN CROON.)
Anyway, my point is that before Del Toro, I was rather torn between Peter Weir and Ang Lee. Peter Weir, as I've said before, I love because he doesn't automatically focus on romance, choosing instead to portray close friendships and so on. I love it. If I'd gone with him, my choice would be this:
Awesome movie with an even more awesome soundtrack, adapted from an awesome series of books. WIN.
But wait! Ang Lee! He does focus on romances, but not offhandedly or because studios prefer it: he does it in a way I like, thematically exploring the intricacies of love or lust when it's socially dangerous. Even better, he's explored these themes in just about every genre known to man, from Jane Austen period drama, to Wuxia, to comic book movie, to Western. If I had to choose from his films, it'd be a toss-up between Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and this:
So yeah, that's a big question for me.
And finally...
Day 29 - A piece of trivia from a favorite film:
You know Ratatouille:
Brad Bird (another favourite director, ARGH), Pixar, French rat who wants to become the best chef in Paris. The eponymous dish, so good it makes The Grim Eater drop his poison pen in joy, is actually professional chef Thomas Keller's version of confit byaldi. Despite being incredibly fussy to make and prepared in a very different fashion, it is like traditional ratatouille in two important ways: its flavour, and the fact that it's reportedly even better reheated the next day.
And on that note, I think it's time I made dinner.
I feel productive! I finished that, then I sent away an application for an 18+ card (photo ID! A good thing to have, apparently), bought my flatmate's birthday present(s) and paid all this month's bills. And then the landlord announced that he'd be coming round this morning to fix a leak originating in our bathroom, so me and Jenni stayed up until 4am cleaning. Ah well, at least I made the kitchen shiny.
The last part of the movie meme! Though there may be a mysterious, 30th question coming. Maybe. You've seen how unreliable my posting schedule is.
Oh, nooooo. I can answer all these questions, I really really can. But to do so honestly, I have to break my rule. My 'no repeating the same movie' rule. It's not even my absolute favourite movie of all time*, it just FITS. So here are my answers, two of which were my very first answer. (It was going to be three, but I restrained myself.)
*It's second, right after 12 Angry Men.
Day 26 - Favorite film poster:
Beautiful and complex is something that appeals to me, yes. But when it comes to promotional material - something which must catch your eye in the space of a glance - I'm a sucker for simple and evocative. Add artwork by Mike Mignola (apparently adapting Hellboy to his satisfaction had perks) and you have a poster I would not only buy, but also frame at great expense and display prominently in the living room of my dream house.
Basically Del Toro and Mignola in any combination makes me do Wall-E eyes. This poster is emblematic of that fact.
Day 27 - A film that you wish you had seen in theaters:
Yay, I don't have to cheat for this one!
The worst part is, I actually had a chance to see this on the big screen - with a free ticket and everything! - but didn't because I couldn't find anyone to see it with me. I think seeing Moon looming at me in a dark and cavernous theatre would have been perfect for getting right into Sam Bell's mental state, since the vast emptiness of the vistas resonate with the predicament he finds himself in. (Since I did a presentation for this, I can reliably tell you that said vistas were mostly good old-fashioned miniatures with CGI for elements like the background of space and the way dirt falls in low gravity. Neat!)
Day 28 - Favorite film from your favorite director:
My honest answer is, again, Pan's Labyrinth, since I haven't seen enough of Sidney Lumet's films to call him a favourite director, which knocks 12 Angry Men out of the running. However, Del Toro has only become my favourite director in recent years, when I got to see all his movies (well, except Cronos) and discovered I loved ALL of them, even Mimic. In fact, Pan's Labyrinth barely squeaks by two other films of his that I love just as much: it's 'sister film', The Devil's Backbone, and in a completely different direction, Hellboy II. The Devil's Backbone is just about the best ghost story I've ever seen (and it's not like Spanish and Japanese cinema haven't given me a damn banquet of them), and Hellboy II... well, Jesus, where else will you see a Catholic Antichrist with a blue-collar attitude and his psychic amphibious best friend get drunk over their lady loves and sing Barry Manilow? NOWHERE. Like I said, Mignola and Del Toro combined is just aslfjalsfkjgfa.
(There was going to be an illustrative YouTube clip here, but the internet has failed to provide me with anything that is a) decent quality and b) in English. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED, YOUTUBE. THE PEOPLE MUST SEE DOUG JONES AND RON PERLMAN CROON.)
Anyway, my point is that before Del Toro, I was rather torn between Peter Weir and Ang Lee. Peter Weir, as I've said before, I love because he doesn't automatically focus on romance, choosing instead to portray close friendships and so on. I love it. If I'd gone with him, my choice would be this:
Awesome movie with an even more awesome soundtrack, adapted from an awesome series of books. WIN.
But wait! Ang Lee! He does focus on romances, but not offhandedly or because studios prefer it: he does it in a way I like, thematically exploring the intricacies of love or lust when it's socially dangerous. Even better, he's explored these themes in just about every genre known to man, from Jane Austen period drama, to Wuxia, to comic book movie, to Western. If I had to choose from his films, it'd be a toss-up between Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and this:
So yeah, that's a big question for me.
And finally...
Day 29 - A piece of trivia from a favorite film:
You know Ratatouille:
Brad Bird (another favourite director, ARGH), Pixar, French rat who wants to become the best chef in Paris. The eponymous dish, so good it makes The Grim Eater drop his poison pen in joy, is actually professional chef Thomas Keller's version of confit byaldi. Despite being incredibly fussy to make and prepared in a very different fashion, it is like traditional ratatouille in two important ways: its flavour, and the fact that it's reportedly even better reheated the next day.
And on that note, I think it's time I made dinner.