The Body Count at 3
The body count of people not graduating is at 3.
The last roll of film for college has been developed consisting of pictures from the FA week closing night up to the picture-taking on Tuesday. Hey they’re right; something is going on with Miyo. All I can say is that it’s a “youthful advance” (he looks like 1st year all over again but you know, more mature without 2nd or 3rd year weighing him down) which I can only explain that he’s finally starting to be more confident in knowing what he’s doing (don’t know enough about the other thing, that’s more suited for the FA Dept with Xander). Good for you, reader.
Got my grades. I got an A in that class. I’m not happy about it because you only did the right thing. And my favorite Theo teachers are now Bro. Javy and Dr. Rosana.
The week of May will be expensive music-wise as Bjork is releasing her new album, Volta while Tori Amos will be releasing her new album, American Doll Posse.
I seem to be on a holding pattern with movies as the last few movies I’ve seen either had Harvey Keitel or someone snorting cocaine (Films I watched in the last two days: GoodFellas, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, True Romance, Serpico, The Rainmaker, Thelma & Louise, Bishonen, Nobody Knows).
Speaking of movies…….
Movie Reviews:
Notes on a Scandal - Yes, I finally got around to watching Notes on a *MOTHERFUCKING* Scandal and I was not disappointed! We finally see Judi Dench in a different light (much different from Mrs. Brown or Queen Elizabeth) as Barbara Covett and it is a memorable performance bordering on camp (more on this in a while) as she involves herself in a “Fatal Attraction for Lesbians” storyline with Cate Blanchett. Blanchett has been tasked as having too strong an onscreen persona to communicate the weaknesses of Sheba Hart but her glassy and longing stares do the job in my opinion. Weakness? Is it weak to want an alternative? The only weakness seems to be in believing everyone else. Another person well-cast is Andrew Simpson as Steven Connolly. The boy manages to keep up with his acting elder, giving a confident and believable portrayal of a boy caught in a situation that transitions him from play to serious and his reaction is perfect.
I mentioned camp but this is what it is: the idea of the intense individual. What fascinated me the most is the idea of intensity as Barbara Covett asks, “meaning what exactly?” much to the laughter of the movie-going audience. Does intensity inevitably lead to ridicule? In Judi Dench’s story, intensity is the way of life and it does get things done but people don’t seem to understand this pursuit. Everybody fears what the intense individual is unwilling to reveal as to what they are capable of thus the individual becomes a spectacle, a kinetic exhibit left to the dusty region of the museum of life, observed but never approached for keen understanding as it hums an amount of believability and presence all too familiar yet only acknowledged to be in the dark side of desires, forcing one to turn away lest they be examined back but to a more truthful and terrifying degree of uncomfortable prescience which they in turn are unwilling to pursue (if ever they could do). (Philip Glass’s score demonizes and enhances this to a near ridiculous degree.) That’s Barbara Covett. And I sympathize with that. (9/10)
300 - Effective in its directness and simplicity, the movie 300 is an aesthetically pleasing (that was Rodrigo Santoro?!? what the heck did they do???) film coupled with some narrative derailments. Everything that occurs outside the city is gold while everything inside seems to be like basalt. The scenes outside are some of the best conducted fight scenes I’ve seen and they are done believably too as the action is continuous with every body being hit is respectfully displayed to the audience. What hinders the greatness of this movie would be the “acting” and not the “action” elements as the director seems to have rushed everyone to get their lines out as quick as they can so that we can move on to the good stuff. Cases in point: the lovemaking between Leonidas and Gorgo. Did I really need to see them go “oh this is how SPARTA loves, in this position, in this position, etc.”? Pointless other than for some gratuitous sex. Another would be the scene where Gorgo addresses the council. Despite having a VERY satisfying payoff (the women in the theater applauded), Lena Headey’s acting was not appropriate, too fussy when she should have been steady, that it appears she is giving a grad school lecture rather than changing the minds of the leaders to save her husband’s life. Fortunately the movie is unbalanced with the good outweighing the bad and being more than enough to allow you to bear the clunky spots. (8.5/10)
(Sorry but I don't have the energy to do a mini-review for Ghost Rider.)
This week is for working on those screenplays, off to Antipolo with everyone else tomorrow.