Moody Meow

If you have had your head up your ass for the past few months, you may not know that Pirates of the Caribbean - The End of the World, came out. (The reviews are not kind, but I liked it). I’m only going to go as far as to say that I need to see it again (there are some rockin’ plot twists). While watching last night’s Daily Show, we saw the commercial that stated it started to show @ 8 on Thursday. D and I looked at each other - got our asses up - and headed out. A word to the wise if you are buying tickets at the kiosk in the Winter Park Cinema. If the movie is sold out for a particular time, the screen will say “Connection Error - Please go to the ticket counter.” The kid behind us told us that the 10:30 wasn’t sold out. We both those tickets without that damn message

Let me reiterate - we went to the 10:30 show and we got out around 1:15. Holy long movie, Batman! The special effects were wonderful, but since I am a slow motherfucker, I would recommend watching 2 again, just so you catch on, because they don’t go back and explain a damn thing. That could be bad for the success of the film. I hope it does well — just to kick Spiderman’s ass.

D and I are going to see it again, perhaps tonight, at the Aloma Cinema and Grill. Comfy chairs call to me, and although the audio is not perfect, I love the relaxed atmosphere. Plus, I can have BEER (no rum?). Yay.

Camino 2.0

So I installed Camino as my default browser for my laptop and I must say - it’s faster than both Safari and Firefox and not nearly as buggy as the Beta version. So I’ve set it as my default and I am going to give it a run-through.

But, so far, so good. If you have a Mac - try it out!

I don’t know if everyone else gets them, but David and I get the Sunday blues. To combat such madness, we went for a ride. It wasn’t the ride we intended on the West Orange Trail, but it worked none the less. The wind pushed heavily against us on the Econ Trail, forcing us (that would really just be me because David hauls ass) to a painful crawl. I managed to keep my feet going, maintaining some kind of speed against the unrelenting wind. We rode from one end to the other, chased by the sunset. When we got back to the car I told David about the Buzzards.

On the ride out I watched them fly, hundreds of wide-winged creatures, swooping in the wind. I imagined that the colder wind invigorated them, stirring them to soar. They spun in circles, some breaking off to swoop low over the trail. You really should have seen it. The smears of dark birds all over a royal blue sky, painting the horizon with the colors of a waning sunset. I almost rode right into the water because I wanted to fill my eyes with the sight of their soaring. I left them quite sadly and continued my ride. On the way back, just a few brave birds continued their dance with dusk. The rest, more than I could count, rested in the tops of the trees. Like dark decorations on some twisted Christmas tree, they rested heavily on the bare boughs of tall pines. I really wish I had my camera, but the image lives in my head, and that works for me.

Beyond the bike ride, we took the dogs to the dog park again. It’s kind of becoming a ritual for us and is something entertaining to do when you don’t do the nightlife thing any more. Pip is getting more social, and doesn’t cower when bigger dogs get near him now. He will sniff, but looks to D or I for reassurance when pushy dogs ride his ass. Puck gave one big black lap a face full of “fuck-off” when the dog tried to mount him. We stayed for about a half hour before it just got too chilly. Other beagles wandered beneath the hurried legs of fuzzy sheppards and bouncy labs. Our are the cutest, though, of course.

Friday and Saturday we tried really really hard to get homework done. David did better than I ended up doing. I did some reading but my research fell to the wayside. Instead we cuddled and goofed off. We watched some movies, and contemplated our worlds. It was quiet – just the way we like it.

David bought me The Corpse Bride. I loved it! It was shorter than I thought it would be. All of the voices were done beautifully, with my favorite being Christopher Lee. But I think it worked. I’m a fan of almost everything that Tim Burton has done, but I think this rests at the top with Edward Scissorhands and Sleepy Hollow. (I don’t care what you think – I love Sleepy Hollow).

Battlestar – I really hated the Black Market episode. Scar took us someplace new, and I loved it. I thought giving the Cylon “hatred” for Cara really worked. I thought this one was really well done. So I am back in love with the show.

The Weekend. I left my phone off all weekend, not intentionally, mind you. I just turned it off on Friday and forgot to turn it back on. If you called and didn’t leave a message then I won’t know you called at all. I can’t wait to get a new phone.

I started the morning with a run. It’s the best run I’ve ever had. I made it through. Because I’m not following the routine to the letter, it’s taken me weeks to progress this interval pass. I think if I make it through one more time without stalling I will move to the next interval. I think by the end of the year I will fulfill my goal.
I will get home from work today and ride with D (which means that I will chug along at a slow pace and he will race beyond my line of sight) and then head off to school for some edumacation. But it’s another week, and I am starting to feel lighter. Perhaps by the end of it I will have managed to call my family and friends.

Oh – and iced tea is officially ambrosia.

D finshed the book this afternoon, and we watched the movie tonight. After finishing it, we both sat back, disappointed. I understand that book adaptations are difficult. I understand that there are so many moments that are sacred to the reader. But there were moments in the movie that made no sense unless you had read the books. When Lupin turns into the werewolf and is struggling against Sirius, Sirius exclaims “You didn’t take your potion, did you?” That phrase doesn’t make sense unless you know that Snape was the one helping Lupin with those potions to maintain the beast within him. The film felt like random moments, lacking cohesiveness and a full fleshed out story. Taking out certain aspects, like the relation between Lupin, Black, and Pettigrew (specifically with the map) left me feeling flat. That was one of my favorite things about Book 3. So, I didn’t like it.

What I did love was the Demetors. They were portrayed beautifully. The Patronus charm, also goregous!! I also liked Buckbeak and I did like the new Dumbledore, although I thought he should have been more present in the film. But he possesses a kind of mischevious glint that makes his character more…well… Dumbledore-ish. Snape, fucking perfect. And the Weasley twins are quite good looking (and I feel so dirty saying that!) The Knight Bus, also very well done.

So there were aspects of this film that I really liked, but the story just seemed too disjointed for me. I hope that Book 4 (my favorite so far… but I’m not done with 6 yet) makes me happier….

D and I also watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind - I loved it! I was told that it was sad, but I completly disagree. I thought there was a bittersweetness to the end that really made sense. I’m not a fan of Jim Carrey’s comedy, but his face was perfect for revealing the torture and despair that plagued his character. I think this is one we shall have to purchase.

Tomorrow I head back to the doctor to find out the results of the surgery, and what my future holds in terms of my reproductive system. I could care less if they yank the whole bloody thing out, just leave me my ovaries so I have some estrogen left. We all know I am too testosterone ridden as it is.

Sweet dreams to all…and again…. send some kind of love to those who are about to get battered by Hurricane Katrina. I have a feeling they are going to need all the help they can get.

Friday night - 8:30 p.m. - bring booze and a snack - we are watching Constantine and eating fondue. It makes sense, really it does. Hell. Fire. Fondue! So, come one, come all.

We watched Frida last night. I caught bits of it on one of the indie film channels, but I wanted to see the whole thing. I loved this film. Salma Hayek playes the tortured artist with grace and depth. The whole cast is quite well done, although I thought Ashley Judd trying to play with an Italian accent was a little hard to swallow. The struggle between Frida and her husband Deigo Rivera played out with both tenderness and bitterness. I don’t think I finished the film understanding why she put up with his philandering ways (although she was just promiscuous). I am interested in reading her biography and finding out more about her. I think I will take a short jaunt down to Winter Park to check out the bio and see if it’s worthwhile.

In other news. They fixed our drain last night. The kitchen drain broke on Saturday afternoon, so we couldn’t use the kitchen sink. It was problematic, but we made it through. It was nice to be able to use the sink properly again.
I’m almost done with Psychonauts. This last level is making me tear my hair out! And I think they fukt me on the save system, which could lead to my blowing up the PS2, but we will see if it’s as bad as I think it is.
My surgery is a week from Friday. Joy.
Mom flies in on the 3rd. She leaves on the 10th. Seven days of Momma’s love…happiness. =)
I ran this morning and got a wicked blister that tore open. It’s mighty painful. So, today at work I am wearing socks and flip flops (I can’t have anything rubbing on the back of my foot) and I must say that I am mad fashionable. Look at me rockin the sexy socks!! Woo hoo (end caffinated explosion).

Batman Begins left me all happy and juicy. I really enjoyed this film, not because it was better than the other Batman-monstrosities that came before, but because it was a good film on its own. When I left the theatre, I felt something for Bruce Wayne, something beyond the wide-eyed wonder that he would normally instill. He was an angry man, a man overwhelmed by guilt and rage. You see him get pissed. You see him reckless. That humanizes his struggle and lends it a feeling of truth. And by the end of the movie I not only liked Batman/Bruce Wayne, I understood why he felt compelled to do what he does.
As for the other characters, the roles were acted beautifully.
Michael Cane’s Alfred posseses bright, biting but loving sarcasm, and his character seems to be the main conduit for Bruce’s humanity. You see him at his most vulnerable when he’s with Alfred, and I really liked that. Alfred also has that air of propriety, and serves as a good mirror for the madness that Batman must live. There’s also a sadness in Alfred, which is subtle, but ever present, and I don’t know if that is something I read into the character or if it was intended, but it worked for me.
Liam Neeson’s Ducard was just a bad-ass. There was a conversation post-movie about whether he could pull off such a feat, that he didn’t necessarily possess the presence to be such a ass kicking mother, but I think he succeeded, and then some.
Ken Wantanabe was not in the film enough. I am more than a little miffed at that. And they didn’t give him much to do….made me a little sad.
I’m not a fan of Katie Holmes. And her character, Rachel, didn’t serve much of a purpose. I don’t even feel like she is worthy eye-candy, then again, I am one who goes for the darker, more dangerous women. So, passable acting, but I was not terribly impressed.
I think my favorite non-Batman character was Fox, played by Morgan Freeman. He lights up a screen with that smile of his, and just oozes mischevious intentions. Every time he showed up in the film I had to grin, he’s just that good. He gets some pretty whizzy one-liners.
Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, perfection. I don’t need to say much more.

Frankie made a great point when we got out of the film. There are a lot of big name actors in this film, but not one acts outside their character. They all fill their spaces as much as possible without outshining the other players in the film. And D put it well when he said this was a film about Bruce Wayne, not about the villians.
I would recommend this film with ease. It satisfied my need for ass kicking action, fast cars (I want a Tumbler!!) and a human side to the characters within this little play (its the first time you see Batman with bruises!!)….there is a twist in the film that got me too… I totally didn’t see it coming, and bravo to them for doing it. I want to see this again!!

I know this is a relatively incoherant review…but I didn’t get much sleep and what sleep I did get was innundated with strange adventure dreams that hinged on the robbery of a snack machine and travels through a strange dry rolling-hills countryside cut through by a river lined with unaturally tall palm trees. Oh, and I stole a Mountain Dew in the dream. I’m still not really sure why….oh and there were volcanoes…yeah. I don’t get it either.

Natacha Atlas
Last night I bought her Best of. D pointed out that she was on the Kingdom of Heaven soundtrack, and after looking her up, I realized I had heard her on several other things. I like this album quite a lot. Her voice floating over arabic-inspired beats is quite calming. And it possesses a world-music kind of feel that just makes me all happy. There is a remix album out there (one song mixed by Talvin Singh!!!!) that I would also like to pick up. You have to be right with non-american blandness I think to dig this. I feel like I should belly dance (even when she sings in french!! ::: melt :::: )

Madagascar - I want those hours back. I feel like I was cheated out of precious time and money. What a waste!. It’s dumb, ugly, and boring. Do not see this movie. (the good part was that we went with River and Miss A - that was cool…the movie, however, was not!)

Firefly - There is a movie coming out this fall called Serenity and the story is in the same world as this show. Netflix is a beautiful thing… so we rented the first disk of the show, and I have to say I loved it. It’s based in the future, but there is a definate wild-west feel to the whole thing (including the earth-toned costumes, the use of big cannons strapped to thighs and the theme-song!). I had never heard of the show when it was on, at least, not that I can remember. I am so sad that it was cancelled. This show is funny, good looking (both with the cast and the effects), and seems to have a good sense of character. They are all individualistic. That seems like it should be a given, but with ensemble peices, oftentimes someone gets lost. So, we saw the 2 hour pilot, and then 2 episodes….I like very very much. I can’t wait till we get the other disks from Netflix.

Phone status : fucked. I can’t get back to Sprint until tomorrow (I have class tonight.) It’s still dropping calls……argh!

I didn’t write at all this weekend, although I had tons of time off. I have to say, I could get very used to the three day work weeks. It felt great getting up on Thursday, strolling to Panera for an eggie souffle thingy, and taking our time. So, what did I do? Lots of fun stuff!

Thursday was Star Wars. Well worth the wait, in my opinion. I think that you still like Anakin in the beginning, and the transformation fully into Vader is made so much more painful with the reminder of the depth of his relationships with both Padme and Obi Wan. I thought the visuals were amazing, expecially Grevious and the killer Komodo-dragon thing that our man Obi was riding (I want one!). The fight scenes really tore me up. I think that the line between good and evil was sufficently blurred so that the transformation seems to be almost justified. I got sucked in by Palpatine’s manipulation, I admit. But all in all I left the theatre so much more satisfied by the movie as a whole. A lot of people complained about the dialog, but I thought it flowed well this time. It didn’t sound as forced, even between Padme and Anikin. But, everyone seems to have an opinon about this movie. I liked it. I thought the fighting was fantastic, the battle scenes almost overwhelming, and the ruinous line of Vader’s transformation quite compelling. We will see it again so we can really grasp the complexity of the story fully.
Thursday night plans were made and unmade quite rapidly. D and I were very tired, but after a few hours of laying about the house we decided to go to Bull and Bush, just the 2 of us. Walking into the place, you are greeted by the familiar odour of stale smoke, and its almost welcoming. They had a dart tournament, so the crowd wasn’t the usual Saturday night crowd. Older, friendlier, drunker people populated the tables and played really bad darts. While they winged around sharp objects, D and I talked. About what? Nunya! The conversation traversed the plains (and pains) of friendship to the true meaning of Star Wars, to the loving nature of our little family (for some reason, it always comes back to the puppies and kitties) and when we went home we felt fullfilled with the loose and easy nature of the conversation. I love talking to D. I love that we both got so excited about story ideas and images for animation. Its kind of disgusting how well we get along.
Friday was dinner with a few of the friends. Tali has been a regular visitor because of her impending move. I apoligize to everyone for my silence, but it kind of feels like we are stealing moments of laughter that should have been had months ago. That, and she wants my music collection so its been burn, burn, burn. So, Miss A and little River came over with Tali and Taylor for dinner. A looks amazing, and happy. River seems to be very chilled out now, and so much calmer now that they are on their own. A and I discussed the ugliness of the end and her hopeful outlook for the future. We should walk (for graduation) at the same time, and we are looking forward to sharing that. But its good that she’s taking the summer off to be with River, and to work on herself. But, the woman is glowing. She’s at peace, and I think that was the first time she has come over to the house and really enjoyed herself. There are a few pics I will post later of our time on the porch. River was a hoot. I gave him the comics I bought for him and he brought me one of his matchbox cars (which is a collector’s item, so it’s still in the package) as a gift. He is such a sweet kid. He wrestled with Taylor and played video games with D. And at the end of the evening he and A watched Gladiator on the red couch. They had a good time and left in a great mood. We are planning a bike trip with them next. Taylor and Tali stayed later…but they also ended up going home earlier. So, D and I finished the wine on the porch, and that was a bad scene. It sent us into recovery mode all day Saturday.
Saturday: I didn’t sleep Fridaynight/Saturday morning. I watched TV And tried to work through some things going on in my head, but I ended up going to bed around 9 on Saturday morning. D and I slept till about noon, and then I stayed on the couch for the rest of the day. I felt like shit. Once again I drank myself into a depression. I should really know better by now…but I’m a dumbass and I really like the taste of wine….So it was Ratchet and Clank, the couch, gatorade and some sushi and I started to feel better….but I fell asleep REALLY early and slept like the dead.
Sunday….did I mention that our AC unit decided to take a permanent vacation? So, we made calls to the landlord (who is out of town, so all the calls to her are being fielded by her family - I think) And Tali came over again to finish the process of burning the CDs for her trip….and we talked…when she went home I played R&C again for a few hours, did laundry and fell asleep watching Hackers.

Today is the first day of the biking extravaganza. What do I mean? Grocery trips, ventures to the bookstore and all travels to and from school will be done from the back of my bike. We have these great bikes and haven’t utilitized their potential yet…its shameful. So, step one is to revert the short car-trips into bike trips. There’s no reason that we can’t go to Publix and to B&N on the bikes. And frankly, if we need to go to ABC then we are going to do it on the bikes. (althought here will be no drinking until my birthday, which is 2 months away)…

I am still looking forward to a few movies and spending time with a couple of people I haven’t seen in ages. But, I am also going to be working long hours all week. So, squeeze me in when you can……

I will try to return all the phone calls tonight when I get home from the grocery store (we are going to be riding to Chamberlin’s — Woo hoo!)….

Satisfaction, that is what I felt leaving the theatre after watching this movie. I wish I could tell you that each frame, each moment of my attention was a slave to the film, but I can’t. Why? Well, you see, there’s always the asshole. This time they came in a pair, in the form of an older couple. Two seats away, constantly buzzing in my ear, they explained the whole movie to each other in loud, hushed tones. So, unfortunatly, I was distracted the whole time. D finally shushed them, which did seem to quiet them down, but the movie was really ruined for me. If you go to a theatre, don’t fucking talk! Thank you…

Okay, back to the movie. This is based on historical fact. I didn’t realize that until D and I watched a special on the making of the movie. It’s a sublte and interesting story. Balin of Ilbelin was the man that defended and then negotiated the surrender of Jerusalem in 1187 A.D. What’s interesting is that its truly a story about tolerance. There are no true bad guys here (well they are, but they get their dues, and they are part of the Knights Templar who were bloody lunatics anyway) both the Christians and the Muslims are portrayed with equal brutality and respect. These were times of horrific war. And there are no punches pulled in the violence aspect of the film, which I am sure would make some people ill. Personally, I don’t like the whitewashed PG mentality of the country. War is violent, cruel and irrational. To portray it any other way would be tempering the impact that it should have. So, this is a violent, bloody film with a moral message of tolerance. A strange pairing, no?
As for the cast, you really can’t ask for better. Orlando Bloom is starting to grow on me as an actor. I really liked him in LOTR (but I am so in love with those movies its sick) and Pirates. He does a good job here. He doesn’t possess the presence of Jeremy Irons or Liam Neeson, but he tries. There are memorable characters throughout the film, but I think that Neeson steals it. Actually, let me take that back, Ghassan Massoud, the actor that plays Saladin really cements the story. You feel sympathy for his plight, and can read the struggle for tolerance in the furrowed lines in his face. He’s a joy to watch.
All in all I really liked this film. The historical innacuracies did not detract all that much from the story itself (the only person that didn’t exist at the time of the story was Godfrey, and the king died a year before the film’s start, but who’s counting?). Actually, its inspired me to take a second look at the Crusades….time for some bookstore shopping!

Saturday we made plans with Vanya, Frankie and Nick to see Sin City. But first, we needed to eat…

Urban Flats is a new little joint that seems filled with promise, but that air of possibility chokes with the mistakes made. The place is concrete, bare, cold floors only warmed by the light of the kitchen and the ultra-fab lighting found in many new eateries (the cobolt lights are a little old now). My ears were immediatly assulted by white jazz played poorly by a kid with a sax, an iPod and a glorified boom box. Instead of bad karaoke singing, we got bad sax playing. We were seated, after a fair wait, at the 4 top right in front of the poor musician at a wobbly table. This facilitated one of the most uncomfortable conversations of my life, not due to the company or the subject matter, but rather - we had to scream the whole fucking time! I should have known that this version of hip would not go down well.
I ordered the flats and dip as an appetizer. But I will get to that in a minute. The schtick is that everything comes on a flatbread, which is both white and wheat flour based. The server said pizza, but then immediatly told us that the “p” word was naughty so it shouldn’t be said. Basically, they offered personal sized pizzas….
The app came out on what looked like a candle holder that I had passed up many times in a dollar store. Four small votive cups were half filled with dipping sause and rested in a u-shaped holder, which perched atop a wooden pallette. Flatbread, well seasoned and chewy, covered the pallette sparingly. We tried all the dips. I only likes one, a tomato based bit that didn’t sing of any kind of unique flavors, rather it reminded me of cold Ragu spaghetti sauce. The rest of the sauces just grossed me out, although some at our table enjoyed one or two. They weren’t a big hit. The flats themselves were relaitvely unremarkable. I was starving so I didn’t get adventurous. I had the “standby” which was just a pepperoni pizza. It didn’t suck. D chose the Mexican which had chili-cheese, chicken, sausage, and sour cream. I had a bit. The bite was bad. It tasted like cheap chili-cheese mac or something. N chose the chicken ceaser, which looked pretty save the brown sauce (which remain unidentified, but Vanya thought it smacked of BBQ sauce) that held the shiny lettuce atop the flats. He seemed to enjoy his dinner…glad someone did.
The service was nonexistant. Either our server was new or she was overly weeded because I ran out of soda, Vanya got a cracked glass and she forgot N’s beer almost completly. She came back once and asked how things were, although it was half hearted.

I don’t recommend the place…..

Sin City - I do recommend. What a ride it was! It grabs you by the balls in the opening scene and doesn’t let go until the end of the movie. D and I saw it twice, and it was just as much fun the second time around. I don’t think I have read a bad review of this film, although there is some grumbling about the violence and the stature of women in the film. To all detractors I say “read the fucking graphic novels!!” Those stories were, frame by frame, in the books. I am really looking forward to going back and re-reading them all.

As for the acting - yay!! Elijah Wood was too damn effective as the canibal Kevin. His smile is still creeping out. All the major characters were right on, but my favorites are still Miho (devon akoi) and Kevin. Why? They are both twisted and they make you understand their depth without speaking a word. Rosario Dawson kicked ass as Gail, her swagger and sneer perfect for the character. I don’t think they made a bad choice for any of the characters, really.

My favorite line “She didn’t really cut his head off, she just made him a pez dispenser” I love this movie!!

Go see it! TWICE!!!

Understand, I am a fan of the Blade movies. I thought the opening of the original was brilliant, the music perfect. Although the ending cheezed out (in a huge way), the idea remained solid.
The second brought an intimacy to Blade and Whistler’s relationship, which I find terribly interesting. The vampires were nummy, plus Ron Pearlman makes me fucking laugh. They were fun films with a dark sense of humor with lots of action and nice eye candy.

This final installment doens’t veer off the course plotted by the first two films. Set in random dark city, most of the action is over the top, and the characters are great. Hannibal King steals the show, and paired up with Danica (I think that’s how you spell it) - those scenes were just fucking classic. Abagail, while nice to look at, seemed like kind of a flat character. Whistler doesn’t get the zinger lines like he did in the first two, but his appearance in the movie is abbreviated. The concept is interesting (to kill the vampires with a virus), but there are moments in the film that are wasted, - like the blood farm.

Taken for what it is, a fun, action flick, I was pretty happy. Then again, I am easily amused.