Good Friends and Vanilla Sky...
Mmmmmmm... Eggos yummy.
Yesterday really *was* fun. After work, and dropping Guy off at
Jerry's, I went to visit Liz over at her new apartment. She's done a
great job decorating the place - it's really classy. We went out to El
Chico for dinner, and I had something called tortilla soup. It was
really good, and they provided queso with the tortilla chips we were
munching on that was also quite satisfying. It was good to get to catch
up with her - I really need to start keeping up with the people I love
more - and we got the chance to swap customer service stories, which is
always entertaining.
Around 11, she decided she needed to head to bed so she could wake up
for church today, so I headed back to Jerry's to see the guys. They had
just set up Jerry's new apartment with his HDTV and new surround-sound
system, so naturally we had to try it out with a trippy movie. Vanilla
Sky was the poison of choice, and somewhere in the drifting
conversation someone mentioned Shiner. I thought "Mmmmm... Shiner..."
and apparently said it out loud, because the next thing I knew, we were
off on a beer run!
We got some of the standards (Hornsby's hard apple
cider... mmmm...) and then Jerry saw that Jack Daniels had some sort of
berry-tasting brew, so they decided that was a must. Then I noticed a
leeeeeetle set of cans that said "caffeine." Bud E - Beer with
caffeine, ginseng, and guarana extract. (And natural flavors.) Everyone
was horrified that it was Budweiser, but too morbidly curious about the
rest to not give it a shot. We drove back, swapped amv favorites and
ideas (Lain: It's All About the Pentiums), at some point switched over
to Beavis & Butthead somehow, and landed back at Jerry's.
I was the only one who thought the B^E was nasty stuff. Guy finally
pinpointed that it tasted like Robitussin with a beer aftertaste.
Chocolate donuts were wonderful to chase the taste away. Vanilla Sky
was pretty good, Tom Cruise and all, though I felt cheated at the end.
But Hollywood got me, I'll admit that - I was nowhere near the right
track with it. So I grant it quality, and I imagine as my bruised pride
heals my fondness towards it'll grow.
(Hmmm, if you haven't seen it, probably shouldn't read this.) Was
mostly my fault, though - should have put together the advanced
technology that turned up here and there and realized that it was
science fiction of a sort rather than just a regular mind-twist. Though
character and story-wise, it really was kind of disappointing. The main
character was a self-obsessed ass. His best friend had accepted that a
woman he thought of as his "dream" girl was Tom's "fuck-buddy,"
recognized his own bitterness at it and instead of turning it it
against his friend, turned it into appreciation of the sweet in his
life, and Tom's character *still* went ahead and made moves on what
felt like the one woman Brian had ever told him meant that much to him.
And his new-found "love" for Sophia still didn't stop him from going
with his "fuck-buddy" when he'd said he was going to work, intended to
finally turn it all around. While it's quite understandable that after
being horribly disfigured, he would withdraw from everything and
everyone, after pulling himself out of it, he still couldn't put
himself aside long enough to be happy that his friend had apparently
hooked up with the girl who had meant so much to him. While, again, his
tragedy would normally explain some of that self-obsession in a more
balanced person, he hadn't shown the ability to put someone else above
himself anywhere before, and his inability to do so seems more a part
of who he was to start with. (Though, admittedly, Brian's no doubt
drunken and morose and probably bitter comments to Julie were likely
the trigger that sent her psychosis into suicide, so there would be
some anger there; but Tom's - can't remember the actual character's
name, sorry) casual treatment of both of them created the situation to
begin with - well, along with Julie's instability. As soon as Julie
started mentioning things long-term and "losing" him to another woman,
he should have sat down with her and clarified their relationship. But that would
have been a hassle, and it was easier to shove it to the side than to
actually risk hurting her and/or losing the chicken-soup parties. So he
just let it go and told his new love/lust-interest that the woman he
was (apparently) happily having sex with on a regular basis was a
stalker, lying about someone he called a friend to get into the arms of
a woman she had expressed fear of losing him to.)
That he turned his grief and anger into actually running his company
speaks well for him, though that, too, could easily have had roots in
his self-image and pride. That he lived on, confronting those around
him with his disfigurement shows a form of courage, though that, too,
could have had more to do with anger. And in the end, he let his
self-obsession and pride lead him to abruptly cut himself out of the
lives of everyone who cared about him, so he could go live in a
dreamland where Sophia chose him over Brian and he didn't have to face
his own visage.
That Sophia "never got over" their one night together bugs me, too. She
seemed like a strong character, someone who would be struck by grief,
but who had shown an ability to move on with Brian already. Brian's
dedication seems to fall within his character, but I still kinda wish
he and Sophia had wound up together. I guess it's good that, in the
end, Tom chose to face a less certain, real, life than to remain in
dream-land with Sophia. I still think it would have been better if
they'd revealed that the *whole* thing had been a dream he'd had in his
coma after the car accident, though. Then he and Sophia could have
hooked up *and* there would have been the chance that he really could
turn it around after his time with Sophia. But eh.
Overall, not a bad job confusing the truth, but I'm still not too
impressed with the main character. And the ending did seem kind of...
hokey?... abrupt, cheesy, what-have-you. He never had to face the fact
that in his own mind, he killed Sophia and further dismissed Brian. But
whatevah. :-D
It was a great evening, and a great time... and now it's time to head
to work. Later!
Yesterday really *was* fun. After work, and dropping Guy off at
Jerry's, I went to visit Liz over at her new apartment. She's done a
great job decorating the place - it's really classy. We went out to El
Chico for dinner, and I had something called tortilla soup. It was
really good, and they provided queso with the tortilla chips we were
munching on that was also quite satisfying. It was good to get to catch
up with her - I really need to start keeping up with the people I love
more - and we got the chance to swap customer service stories, which is
always entertaining.
Around 11, she decided she needed to head to bed so she could wake up
for church today, so I headed back to Jerry's to see the guys. They had
just set up Jerry's new apartment with his HDTV and new surround-sound
system, so naturally we had to try it out with a trippy movie. Vanilla
Sky was the poison of choice, and somewhere in the drifting
conversation someone mentioned Shiner. I thought "Mmmmm... Shiner..."
and apparently said it out loud, because the next thing I knew, we were
off on a beer run!
We got some of the standards (Hornsby's hard apple
cider... mmmm...) and then Jerry saw that Jack Daniels had some sort of
berry-tasting brew, so they decided that was a must. Then I noticed a
leeeeeetle set of cans that said "caffeine." Bud E - Beer with
caffeine, ginseng, and guarana extract. (And natural flavors.) Everyone
was horrified that it was Budweiser, but too morbidly curious about the
rest to not give it a shot. We drove back, swapped amv favorites and
ideas (Lain: It's All About the Pentiums), at some point switched over
to Beavis & Butthead somehow, and landed back at Jerry's.
I was the only one who thought the B^E was nasty stuff. Guy finally
pinpointed that it tasted like Robitussin with a beer aftertaste.
Chocolate donuts were wonderful to chase the taste away. Vanilla Sky
was pretty good, Tom Cruise and all, though I felt cheated at the end.
But Hollywood got me, I'll admit that - I was nowhere near the right
track with it. So I grant it quality, and I imagine as my bruised pride
heals my fondness towards it'll grow.
(Hmmm, if you haven't seen it, probably shouldn't read this.) Was
mostly my fault, though - should have put together the advanced
technology that turned up here and there and realized that it was
science fiction of a sort rather than just a regular mind-twist. Though
character and story-wise, it really was kind of disappointing. The main
character was a self-obsessed ass. His best friend had accepted that a
woman he thought of as his "dream" girl was Tom's "fuck-buddy,"
recognized his own bitterness at it and instead of turning it it
against his friend, turned it into appreciation of the sweet in his
life, and Tom's character *still* went ahead and made moves on what
felt like the one woman Brian had ever told him meant that much to him.
And his new-found "love" for Sophia still didn't stop him from going
with his "fuck-buddy" when he'd said he was going to work, intended to
finally turn it all around. While it's quite understandable that after
being horribly disfigured, he would withdraw from everything and
everyone, after pulling himself out of it, he still couldn't put
himself aside long enough to be happy that his friend had apparently
hooked up with the girl who had meant so much to him. While, again, his
tragedy would normally explain some of that self-obsession in a more
balanced person, he hadn't shown the ability to put someone else above
himself anywhere before, and his inability to do so seems more a part
of who he was to start with. (Though, admittedly, Brian's no doubt
drunken and morose and probably bitter comments to Julie were likely
the trigger that sent her psychosis into suicide, so there would be
some anger there; but Tom's - can't remember the actual character's
name, sorry) casual treatment of both of them created the situation to
begin with - well, along with Julie's instability. As soon as Julie
started mentioning things long-term and "losing" him to another woman,
he should have sat down with her and clarified their relationship. But that would
have been a hassle, and it was easier to shove it to the side than to
actually risk hurting her and/or losing the chicken-soup parties. So he
just let it go and told his new love/lust-interest that the woman he
was (apparently) happily having sex with on a regular basis was a
stalker, lying about someone he called a friend to get into the arms of
a woman she had expressed fear of losing him to.)
That he turned his grief and anger into actually running his company
speaks well for him, though that, too, could easily have had roots in
his self-image and pride. That he lived on, confronting those around
him with his disfigurement shows a form of courage, though that, too,
could have had more to do with anger. And in the end, he let his
self-obsession and pride lead him to abruptly cut himself out of the
lives of everyone who cared about him, so he could go live in a
dreamland where Sophia chose him over Brian and he didn't have to face
his own visage.
That Sophia "never got over" their one night together bugs me, too. She
seemed like a strong character, someone who would be struck by grief,
but who had shown an ability to move on with Brian already. Brian's
dedication seems to fall within his character, but I still kinda wish
he and Sophia had wound up together. I guess it's good that, in the
end, Tom chose to face a less certain, real, life than to remain in
dream-land with Sophia. I still think it would have been better if
they'd revealed that the *whole* thing had been a dream he'd had in his
coma after the car accident, though. Then he and Sophia could have
hooked up *and* there would have been the chance that he really could
turn it around after his time with Sophia. But eh.
Overall, not a bad job confusing the truth, but I'm still not too
impressed with the main character. And the ending did seem kind of...
hokey?... abrupt, cheesy, what-have-you. He never had to face the fact
that in his own mind, he killed Sophia and further dismissed Brian. But
whatevah. :-D
It was a great evening, and a great time... and now it's time to head
to work. Later!