On Weltschmerz, why "A Single Man" is orgasmic, and who I'd cast in my parvum opus
When I'm writing, I find that it often helps to cast actors in the roles in my head in order to see things more clearly. So, just for fun, I actually cast the petit oeuvre I'm writing.
For the character of Aliya, I imagine Alia Shawkat. I have yet to see Arrested Development, but I was impressed by her strength in Whip It, and plus, she already has the character's name!
For Isaiah, I was thinking Corbin Bleu. Apparently, he's rather good in In the Heights.
For Jasmine, Christian Serratos, Young Artist Award-winner for her work in Twilight.
For Leo, Young Artist Award-winner (Hearts in Atlantis) Anton Yelchin, whose career I've followed for years.
For Rafi, I think Janel Parrish, of Pretty Little Liars fame, looks most the part.
For Will, Adam Gregory (90210) has the look, down pat.
A SINGLE MAN:
Fuck The Hurt Locker and Up in the Air. If last year's Oscars had been sane, this would have been one of the five nominees…
AN EDUCATION:
…And this would've been the other.
GRINDHOUSE - DEATH-PROOF:
Quentin Tarantino is one of my idols.
GRINDHOUSE - PLANET TERROR:
An interesting ode to B-zombie flicks.
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS:
I expected more, but I was satisfied.
PANIC ROOM:
David Fincher can do no wrong.
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST:
Sorry, but I found it boring and hackneyed.
PARIS, JE T'AIME:
I liked several shorts very much. Others were okay.
I've been depressed. Not overworked-depressed. Not saudade-depressed. Not burnt-out-depressed. For the first time, I'm under an oppressive amount of Weltschmerz. Work is fine, but for some reason, I feel completely exhausted when I get home after my shifts - too exhausted to do anything other than eat and sleep. Even when I have time off from work, I barely have the willpower to drag myself to the gym, and when I do, I find it impossible to exercise for more than 30 minutes without getting sleepy and giving up. When I'm at home, I don't want to leave my room for anything except food, and I find I'm losing interest in things like television, reading, writing - everything, really. I feel like I have little intellectual stimulation, and I don't have the energy to find the source of some.
Maybe it's just because my job entails seven straight hours of being on my feet, five days per week. Maybe it's because I'm at home instead of school, and my lifestyle can't adapt. Maybe it's because most of my friends live out of state, and I feel too constantly exhausted to get together with those who actually do live nearby.
I think it's my job. Running back and forth, filling and taking orders, and not being allowed to sit down, day after day - it really takes a toll on me and relieves me of my normal joie de vivre. I just have to hold it together for four more weeks. Just four weeks. I hope I can do it.
A Single Man is fucking genius. It's to-the-point, analytical, uncomfortable, well-written, brilliantly acted, life-changing, visionary, and beautiful. Tom Ford's ingenuity is paralyzingly impressive; he uses variations in hue in the middle of shots to enhance the intensity of a given dialogue, employs quick editing and a variety of camera angles (particularly close-ups) to amplify emotion, and adapts the novel so superbly that I felt fondly for every single character. See it.
For the character of Aliya, I imagine Alia Shawkat. I have yet to see Arrested Development, but I was impressed by her strength in Whip It, and plus, she already has the character's name!
For Isaiah, I was thinking Corbin Bleu. Apparently, he's rather good in In the Heights.
For Jasmine, Christian Serratos, Young Artist Award-winner for her work in Twilight.
For Leo, Young Artist Award-winner (Hearts in Atlantis) Anton Yelchin, whose career I've followed for years.
For Rafi, I think Janel Parrish, of Pretty Little Liars fame, looks most the part.
For Will, Adam Gregory (90210) has the look, down pat.
A SINGLE MAN:
Fuck The Hurt Locker and Up in the Air. If last year's Oscars had been sane, this would have been one of the five nominees…
AN EDUCATION:
…And this would've been the other.
GRINDHOUSE - DEATH-PROOF:
Quentin Tarantino is one of my idols.
GRINDHOUSE - PLANET TERROR:
An interesting ode to B-zombie flicks.
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS:
I expected more, but I was satisfied.
PANIC ROOM:
David Fincher can do no wrong.
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST:
Sorry, but I found it boring and hackneyed.
PARIS, JE T'AIME:
I liked several shorts very much. Others were okay.
I've been depressed. Not overworked-depressed. Not saudade-depressed. Not burnt-out-depressed. For the first time, I'm under an oppressive amount of Weltschmerz. Work is fine, but for some reason, I feel completely exhausted when I get home after my shifts - too exhausted to do anything other than eat and sleep. Even when I have time off from work, I barely have the willpower to drag myself to the gym, and when I do, I find it impossible to exercise for more than 30 minutes without getting sleepy and giving up. When I'm at home, I don't want to leave my room for anything except food, and I find I'm losing interest in things like television, reading, writing - everything, really. I feel like I have little intellectual stimulation, and I don't have the energy to find the source of some.
Maybe it's just because my job entails seven straight hours of being on my feet, five days per week. Maybe it's because I'm at home instead of school, and my lifestyle can't adapt. Maybe it's because most of my friends live out of state, and I feel too constantly exhausted to get together with those who actually do live nearby.
I think it's my job. Running back and forth, filling and taking orders, and not being allowed to sit down, day after day - it really takes a toll on me and relieves me of my normal joie de vivre. I just have to hold it together for four more weeks. Just four weeks. I hope I can do it.
A Single Man is fucking genius. It's to-the-point, analytical, uncomfortable, well-written, brilliantly acted, life-changing, visionary, and beautiful. Tom Ford's ingenuity is paralyzingly impressive; he uses variations in hue in the middle of shots to enhance the intensity of a given dialogue, employs quick editing and a variety of camera angles (particularly close-ups) to amplify emotion, and adapts the novel so superbly that I felt fondly for every single character. See it.