Prince Charming ran off with the Cake Girl
This is my first entry since I decided to "publicize" this journal to Facebook. I'll be impressed if anyone begins reading it, but every now and then, I'm tired of having a long thought process that no one will ever hear.
It's been awhile since I wrote here, and for good reason. I think a lot of "growing up" includes letting go of those passions that you thought defined you as a child. For me, that was writing and drawing. I can't say I don't still love drawing, and writing of course (as evidenced by the fact I have a 79000 word novel sitting at the foot of my bed. Only $2 for your own copy!) However, as we all know, it's not exactly easy to balance the real world and the fantasies of adulthood that we conjured up as kids.
So, it was kind of nice to sit and watch a pointless romantic comedy this past weekend while my lovely Clare O. was here. The film I speak of was none other than Penelope, starring Christina Ricci and James McAvoy. For those of you who have never heard of it, the premise is pretty simple. Girl is cursed at birth with the face of a pig snout. She only turns back to normal when "one of her own" - or someone of noble birth, will love her for who she is. Hilarity ensues because all men apparently choose self-defenestration (I kid you not) over marrying her. Girl goes on journey of self-discovery, and so on and so forth.
I had fairly low expectations, but Clare convinced me to watch. Again, for those of you who are unaware, this film was more or less panned by critics (50% approval by top critics on Rotten Tomatoes). Why? Because it lacked distinct direction and any sort of novelty. While I agree, I must admit they were rather harsh. Granted, I'm no film critic, but I consider myself rather picky when it comes to movies (I DON'T CARE WTF ANY OF YOU SAY - JUNO WAS A HORRIBLE FILM.) So it'll come as a small shock when I say, I actually enjoyed Penelope, if only at face value.
Why? Example: I really dislike the original Cinderella, but love Ella Enchanted/Ever After. Call me a feminist, but there's something of a shortage of female heroines (and don't get me STARTED on Twilight). Okay, sure, we like Bella because she's a beloved cookie cutter whose circumstances we all wish we had. What. Eh. Ver. Enter Danielle de Barbarac. I can't begin to describe how hard I cheered when she decked her stepsister in the face.
Was Penelope strong and edgy like this? Meh. Yes, she leaves home and makes herself a star with only her charm and intelligence. Yes, she breaks her own curse (in a rather anti-climactic manner, to be frank). However, neither she nor this movie bring anything new to the table. Still - 50% approval? Ouch. Maybe I was really tired (we viewed this at 11 PM), but I didn't find the movie offensively misdirected. IMHO, the movie accomplishes what it sets out to do. Girl grants her own wish, finds true love, and gives hope to all us young ladies ripe with gaucherie. Plus - you get to see Reese Witherspoon in DREADLOCKS.
**
The second half of this is only partially related. I recently watched Nostalgia Chick's video on why she can enjoy Ke$ha, despite her flinging female rights about 800 years backwards. After watching the brief segment on Taylor Swift, I finally succumbed to watching the full video for "You Belong with Me," a song that grates on my nerves a little.
"Why could such a sweet song grate on your nerves?" you might ask. Or maybe you already know (or think you know.) No, it's not jealousy stemmed from the fact that I'm an awkward-ass Asian girl, and Taylor Swift is a smoking hot blonde with fame that I can never hope to achieve. I actually indulge in the faux-country mix every so often. Swift is a pretty down-to-earth femme with a good voice and a good sense of humor (for reference, please see her introduction on SNL). My beef with the song is this: she's advocating her own selfish desires because she thinks Hot Girl is not good enough for Hot Boy-Next-Door. Why should this be a problem? Well, frankly, because she only has one "reason" that HBND should date her - because she's a dude with breasts.
No, seriously. Listen to the lyrics without watching the video. She's pretty much saying, "There is nothing feminine about me, but we should totally be together."
Look. I'm not exactly the most effeminate of girls, but let's make one thing clear: despite the fact that men and women maybe be equally stacked in some categories, in others they will never be the same. If HBND really wanted who understood him, as a guy, he would just go hang out with other guys. I can respect her being annoyed if he was dating a shallow bimbo (which... is what the video makes it out to be), but she doesn't really say so. She just says that Girlfriend dresses a little more flashily, is a cheerleader, and doesn't quite understand his humor. Eh. It's a bit of a faulty argument.
Anywho. It's a basic geeky girl's jealousy, but just to a catchy tune.
I was feeling in a forgiving mood today, though, and decided to watch the video all the way through. And, to be honest, I liked it. I still don't condone the overall message, but sometimes you do want to see the underdog succeed.
HOWEVAH. There are some things that actually pissed me off a little.
NUMBA ONE: he brushes her hair out of her face. Who does that unless he's about to lean in for a kiss? Misleading. So very much so.
NUMBA TWO: she's publicizes so loudly that she wears tee-shirts, yet at the end of the video, she succumbs to the fact that she's pretty awkward looking, and forces herself to be hot. Nice try, Taylor Swift. You can't hide your hotness. My point being, any other girl would not be able to change so flawlessly. Not to mention, it's not horribly true to herself.
NUMBA THREE: He looooves her in the end. Awwwww. So it's totally okay! Oh, that other girl? Yeah, he was just with her for so long because she was... just... a good kisser. ...A... really... hot... good kisser. ...
That aside, I'll be honest. It made me smile in the end when she and cute boy finally got together. Is it silly? Yes. But is it a little heart-warming too? Definitely.
It's been awhile since I wrote here, and for good reason. I think a lot of "growing up" includes letting go of those passions that you thought defined you as a child. For me, that was writing and drawing. I can't say I don't still love drawing, and writing of course (as evidenced by the fact I have a 79000 word novel sitting at the foot of my bed. Only $2 for your own copy!) However, as we all know, it's not exactly easy to balance the real world and the fantasies of adulthood that we conjured up as kids.
So, it was kind of nice to sit and watch a pointless romantic comedy this past weekend while my lovely Clare O. was here. The film I speak of was none other than Penelope, starring Christina Ricci and James McAvoy. For those of you who have never heard of it, the premise is pretty simple. Girl is cursed at birth with the face of a pig snout. She only turns back to normal when "one of her own" - or someone of noble birth, will love her for who she is. Hilarity ensues because all men apparently choose self-defenestration (I kid you not) over marrying her. Girl goes on journey of self-discovery, and so on and so forth.
I had fairly low expectations, but Clare convinced me to watch. Again, for those of you who are unaware, this film was more or less panned by critics (50% approval by top critics on Rotten Tomatoes). Why? Because it lacked distinct direction and any sort of novelty. While I agree, I must admit they were rather harsh. Granted, I'm no film critic, but I consider myself rather picky when it comes to movies (I DON'T CARE WTF ANY OF YOU SAY - JUNO WAS A HORRIBLE FILM.) So it'll come as a small shock when I say, I actually enjoyed Penelope, if only at face value.
Why? Example: I really dislike the original Cinderella, but love Ella Enchanted/Ever After. Call me a feminist, but there's something of a shortage of female heroines (and don't get me STARTED on Twilight). Okay, sure, we like Bella because she's a beloved cookie cutter whose circumstances we all wish we had. What. Eh. Ver. Enter Danielle de Barbarac. I can't begin to describe how hard I cheered when she decked her stepsister in the face.
Was Penelope strong and edgy like this? Meh. Yes, she leaves home and makes herself a star with only her charm and intelligence. Yes, she breaks her own curse (in a rather anti-climactic manner, to be frank). However, neither she nor this movie bring anything new to the table. Still - 50% approval? Ouch. Maybe I was really tired (we viewed this at 11 PM), but I didn't find the movie offensively misdirected. IMHO, the movie accomplishes what it sets out to do. Girl grants her own wish, finds true love, and gives hope to all us young ladies ripe with gaucherie. Plus - you get to see Reese Witherspoon in DREADLOCKS.
**
The second half of this is only partially related. I recently watched Nostalgia Chick's video on why she can enjoy Ke$ha, despite her flinging female rights about 800 years backwards. After watching the brief segment on Taylor Swift, I finally succumbed to watching the full video for "You Belong with Me," a song that grates on my nerves a little.
"Why could such a sweet song grate on your nerves?" you might ask. Or maybe you already know (or think you know.) No, it's not jealousy stemmed from the fact that I'm an awkward-ass Asian girl, and Taylor Swift is a smoking hot blonde with fame that I can never hope to achieve. I actually indulge in the faux-country mix every so often. Swift is a pretty down-to-earth femme with a good voice and a good sense of humor (for reference, please see her introduction on SNL). My beef with the song is this: she's advocating her own selfish desires because she thinks Hot Girl is not good enough for Hot Boy-Next-Door. Why should this be a problem? Well, frankly, because she only has one "reason" that HBND should date her - because she's a dude with breasts.
No, seriously. Listen to the lyrics without watching the video. She's pretty much saying, "There is nothing feminine about me, but we should totally be together."
Look. I'm not exactly the most effeminate of girls, but let's make one thing clear: despite the fact that men and women maybe be equally stacked in some categories, in others they will never be the same. If HBND really wanted who understood him, as a guy, he would just go hang out with other guys. I can respect her being annoyed if he was dating a shallow bimbo (which... is what the video makes it out to be), but she doesn't really say so. She just says that Girlfriend dresses a little more flashily, is a cheerleader, and doesn't quite understand his humor. Eh. It's a bit of a faulty argument.
Anywho. It's a basic geeky girl's jealousy, but just to a catchy tune.
I was feeling in a forgiving mood today, though, and decided to watch the video all the way through. And, to be honest, I liked it. I still don't condone the overall message, but sometimes you do want to see the underdog succeed.
HOWEVAH. There are some things that actually pissed me off a little.
NUMBA ONE: he brushes her hair out of her face. Who does that unless he's about to lean in for a kiss? Misleading. So very much so.
NUMBA TWO: she's publicizes so loudly that she wears tee-shirts, yet at the end of the video, she succumbs to the fact that she's pretty awkward looking, and forces herself to be hot. Nice try, Taylor Swift. You can't hide your hotness. My point being, any other girl would not be able to change so flawlessly. Not to mention, it's not horribly true to herself.
NUMBA THREE: He looooves her in the end. Awwwww. So it's totally okay! Oh, that other girl? Yeah, he was just with her for so long because she was... just... a good kisser. ...A... really... hot... good kisser. ...
That aside, I'll be honest. It made me smile in the end when she and cute boy finally got together. Is it silly? Yes. But is it a little heart-warming too? Definitely.