Lady Gaga - Bad Romance

I've never been that into Lady Gaga. I mean, her music always seemed pretty average to me. Granted, her clothes have always been pretty mind-blowing and visionary and epic and such, but I just never paid much attention.

However, after seeing the following video I may have just become a disciple. See why for yourself.

Nancy Ajram - Mashy Haddy

I love Arabic pop most ardently. I love Nancy Ajram most ardently. I love this video most ardently. But still I must ask, "What the hell, Nancy Ajram?"

See why:



I think one of the most puzzling things to me is how westernized this video is. I mean...Lebanon didn't look like that in the '50s, did it? It's very strange for a Lebanese pop star to be making a throw back to the good ol' days of the American '50s. Hmm.

Damn catchy tune,though, Ms. Ajram...damn catchy.

Ummm...

Rachel Brice has a blog...did you know that? Because I didn't. VISIT IT.

And while we're on the subject, here's some footage of her amazingness at work.



And because the troupe she's in, The Indigo, are equally amazing, here's a video of them, too.

Two Star Symphony - Something She Said

I know I haven't posted anything in some time, but what with school and work starting combined with a genuine lack of readers who care whether or not I post anything I just haven't been around much to do so. BUT! I return because I found this video of this band I really adore called Two Star Symphony. I suppose they really are a symphony more than their a band, but whatever. Anyways, here's a live video of them performing one of the few songs I have from them, "Something She Said." Enjoy.

A Serious Man

Anyone who knows me knows that I have issues with the Coen brothers. I appreciate their films but I tend to dislike them. However, I just saw a trailer for their latest flick A Serious Man and I have to say this is probably one of the best trailers I have ever seen in my life and I will most definitely be seeing this film. I wanted to share the trailer because I really do think it's a bit of a masterpiece. No joke.

Julian Plenti - Games For Days

I love Interpol. Let's just get that out in the open. I love them and everything they do and I don't care that they appear to be a kind of dull live band (but I don't know, I've never seen them - just vids) because the music they make is just absolutely wonderful to my ears.

That said, I also adore with an ardent passion (redundant? Perhaps.) Julian Plenti, which is Paul Banks' alter musical ego. I think the music he has made on his own has a very clear direction, and a great one at that, and I love just about every song on Plenti's album.

If it sounds like I'm gushing it's because I am. But this is because I have just discovered a music video for Plenti's first single "Games for Days." Now the video, itself, is kind of lame. I mean, I have no idea what's going on in it aside from spray paint and handcuffs in a hotel room (which I guess might be enough depending on who you are), but there are a couple of other factors that far outweigh the generally confusing plot.

For one, Paul Banks (Julian Plenti) is gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous (in my humble opinion). The facial hair, the clothes, the smiles...beautiful. But more importantly it's the other person in the video that makes it so great. And that person is Emily Haines of the band Metric (and also an artist with her own solo album). And now for me to just go ahead and gush about her because the truth is Emily Haines is one of my top female role models. I think she is intelligent, I think she is beautiful, I think she is sexy, I think she is talented, I think she is basically everything a wonderful woman should be - confident, interesting, funny. And she makes some of the most heartbreaking music around.

Now, I never knew Emily Haines knew Paul Banks. I had not been made aware of this. So, I was totally floored to see her in the music video. Being beautiful, sexy, and strong at that, although I suppose that's to be expected of her. And to mix that kind of attitude with Bank's suddenly very apparent confidence and his own particular brand of sex appeal it makes the video one of the most magnetic things I've ever seen, and to be honest I suddenly feel like writing an entire novel dedicated to the characters portrayed by these two artists.

So anyway! Enough yappin! Here's the video I speak of so highly!

YouTube Doubler

So, my roommate is out to the movies and I'm here all by myself just killing time on StumbleUpon when a truly excellent site comes up. It's for some YouTube Doubler Beta, which is simply a place where you can plug two different YouTube video urls in and they'll play them together providing you with a mash-up of the two videos. Here's the link to the mash-up that popped up when I saw the page because it's pretty awesome. I've seen an interview with the guy on the left during an episode of the wonderful show IFC Media Project. If you get IFC you should totally check out that show, too.

100 Important Directors of Animated Short Films

I'm going to try and see all of these. I am making it a mission. I've already seen a couple, but that's not nearly enough...

Whoa, TCM, WHOA.

I love Turner Classic Movies. I really, honestly do. I think it is a wonderful channel and one of my favorites, no doubt about it. And now I see that (thanks to an article on the movie blog ropeofsilicon) TCM has released a series of 32 "re-imagined posters" for some classic films. Some of these are really lovely. My two favorites are the following:


These are two of my favorite classics, so I'm happy TCM did a great job with their reinvented posters. But I have to say, I'm a huge fan of contemporary takes on classic movies in general. One of my other favorite examples are what Vanity Fair magazine has done a couple of times in the past. Their 2007 Hollywood Portfolio was a modern take on the film noir genre and involved some of my favorite actors and actresses. And then in 2008 their Hollywood Portfolio was made up of current actors and actresses reenacting famous Hitchcock moments. Both are lovely shoots by Annie Leibovitz.

Anywho, if you're a fan of this sort of thing check out the full set of posters and then the Vanity Fair shoots. All good stuff.

Why I want to see Jennifer's Body

I'm really hoping Diablo Cody brings it, and this little PSA is giving me hope...


EMBED-Megan Fox Public Service Announcement - Watch more free videos

Some thoughts about the blog thusfar...

So, I'm actually rather enjoying having this blog, you know. Though I don't know why. I think the only person who reads it is my best friend (by the by, if you don't happen to be her, I suggest you gander at her blog, as well, as it often time appears far more interesting than mine and her vocabulary is infinitely better than mine, too) and, really, just about everything on this here blog has been discussed with her at some previous time already so it's kind of pointless for her to just read it again online.

Yet I completely intend to continue with this little venture, anyway. I think this is because on a deeper, more personal, more embarrassing level I'm a bit full of myself. I honestly think I like cool things and that other people should like these cool things, too, and so I've created this blog to spend my time talking about these things hoping someone will find it and agree with me. 'Cause...um...that's what I want - someone to agree with me. Believe me to be correct. Inflate my ego, I suppose. I don't know why, but that's what I believe to be the root of this thing. Plus, I really like to talk. I'll go ahead and blame four years of competitive speech for that, but I'll admit that it's more likely that I did four years of speech because I like to talk so much rather than the other way around.

And, much like I said in the beginning, I also love lists and organizing things and having knowledge and thoughts all in one handy-dandy spot: This here blog. And I think it's because of my love of listing and organizing things that I've started things like the Spotlights and the Cool Comics of the Month. But I think, honestly, I'm just going to cancel those while I'm ahead. Though I love the idea of titles and sections, I think I'm just going to go with the flow instead of trying to label and organize every little thing. It seems to come off a bit forced to me when I do it like that, and the end result makes me unhappy. So that's just gonna end right now. After I post this I'm going to go back and edit the tags.

But anyway, I guess that's about it. I just wanted to lay these thoughts out in type. Now it's time to go reorganize, something I love almost as much as simply organizing.

About the lack of Cool Comic of the Month...

I have an excuse for that! And the excuse is, the comic I have decided to feature is currently not in my hands. I loaned it out to the best friend and she hasn't read it yet. SO! There will be no Cool Comic for the month of July, I'm afraid. I really want the volume in my hand so I can refer back to its awesomeness, you know? But perhaps I will have it back within the next couple of weeks. There's no guarantee, but you also never know.

In case you're wondering, the Cool Comic is Wormwood Gentleman Corpse Vol. 1 by Ben Templesmith.

Anyway, in the hopes of distracting anyone who cares about Cool Comic of the Month, I present a short clip from the delightfully strange Korean film I'm a Cyborg But That's OK. Now, I know without any context this clip is going to seem VERY BIZARRE, but I almost think it's better that way...

Wes Anderson's The Fantastic Mr. Fox Trailer

I know if there's anything I should be posting right now it's the Cool Comic of the Month, but I can't get over the fact that a new trailer is out from one of my All Time Favorite directors, Wes Anderson. I heard about him directing The Fantastic Mr. Fox a while back, but never really thought about it. That is, when I saw the trailer and realized it was all in stop-motion I just kind of lost it, having not considered that a movie about talking foxes would likely be animated in some form. The movie looks very visually appealing, very funny, and very interesting. It also has an amazing cast. So, without further ado, THE TRAILER!

Ahaha...

The hilarious Cleolinda has graced us, her adoring fans, with her version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in 15 minutes. It is, of course, delightful. Her "Movies in 15 Minutes" are always wonderful, and something I recommend any and all of you read when you get the chance.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that. If you scroll down to the comments you will also find a hilarious gif...if you've seen the movie you'll know it when you see it. And you'll know why it's hilarious.

ALSO: Cool Comic of the Month is probably going up later today. I'm still deciding which one to do...I've read quite a few this month, you see.

Until then!

The Route V50 Short Film

I was looking over the blog, particularly at the neat little video bar, which was showing a selection of Wong Kar Wai clips, one of which was a short film he directed for BMW starring Clive Owen, Forest Whitaker, Adrien Lima, and Mickey Rourke. I won't link to that since it'll show up in the bar, but after watching it I remembered another short film for a car company I had seen a while back, and this one starring my favorite actor Robert Downey Jr. I looked it up and watched it again today, and I still enjoyed it as much as I had the first time.

Thus, I thought I'd post it here. I think it's a really interesting, clever little short. It's about a man looking for the town of Confidence. His search takes place in a Volvo V50, and along the way he meets some very interesting fellows. Here's parts 1 & 2.

Part 1:



Part 2:

Movie Spotlight: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Here are some thoughts I typed up a week ago about the movie. Thought I'd post them here, as well.

So, I just got back from the theatre and my thoughts are all over the place. The most present feeling is one of enjoyment. This movie is REALLY FUNNY. It's almost too funny when I think about it, because it seems that the filmmakers thought that being funny was more important than being cohesive.

I say that because I think, if you look at this movie as an actual film, you'd find it falls short in a lot of arenas. Important aspects of the plot are either non-existent or way too obvious. What needed to be explained wasn't and what needed to be a mystery was basically revealed by the half-way point. Things are brought up at one point and ignored at the next, and when you're looking at the proper structure of the whole thing, you can't do that and expect to have a perfectly sensible story.

But I also feel it's important to say that I'm not an objective viewer. After the third movie, I've just learned to let plot mishaps go. Having read, loved, and basically devoted myself to the story in the books, I don't really give a flying flip about the plot in the movie. If they mess up some really important story detail (Hey! The Maurader's Map was really made by Harry Potter's father and his friends! Hey! Neville could have just as easily been "The Chosen One" instead of Harry! Hey! The Half-Blood Prince is someone who's half muggle-half witch/wizard and who's mother's maiden name was actaully "Prince!") what do I care? I know what happened. I just enjoy seeing it on the screen.

And speaking of seeing this movie on the screen; oh my stars, it is GORGEOUS. This movie's cinematography is stunning. Random unnecessary fight at the burrow? I don't care! Harry running through the cornfield (corndfield, what?!) was beeeaaaaaauuuuuuutiful. Death Eaters destroying a muggle bridge? Wait - WHY? Who gives a shit? Man, is it impressive looking. And there's just some beautfully staged scenes...I won't say which ones because I'm trying not to give away major spoilers.

And then there's the actual actors/characters. Some were just phenomenal (Malfoy/Tom Felton, Harry/Daniel Radcliffe) and some just didn't live up to what I wanted (Dumbledore/Michael Gambon, Snape/Alan Rickman). The good first. Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy is just wonderful. I'm really happy that Tom Felton got the chance to really take Malfoy's character somewhere. Maybe it's because I haven't read the 6th book in a while (which may also have something to do with why I did enjoy this movie so much - I don't remember all the little details they ignored), but I really felt more sympathetic towards Malfoy than I ever remember being in the books. The scene in the bathroom where he just rips his sweater vest off and cries at the sink I totally bought. Without even a second thought I was feeling sorry for Malfoy. For the whole story with Malfoy I felt that way.

And then there was Harry, who I thought was super hilarious this time around. It seems like a lot of characters got to be funny in this movie (especially, no surprise, Ron), but Harry stole the show when he was under Felix's spell. The bit about the pinchers had me literally slapping my knees. I think Daniel Radcliffe is a really talented actor...I think he just gets better with every movie. I still find his crying a bit uncomfortable, but just about everything else he does I love. But the line about the pinchers with his voice and his hands...ahahahahaha.

And now or the ones I didn't like. It's too bad I was disappointed with Dumbledore, because he's kind of crucial. Don't get me wrong, I cried at the end, but for a lot of it I didn't buy it. That big important cave scene, where I really wanted to feel for what was happening to the old wizard - I just didn't. I didn't believe that any of his pain was coming from an honest place, and part of that isn't Gambon's fault. It's the fault of whoever wrote his experience as more physically painful than emotionally painful. And if you've read the book, you know it's really coming from an emotional place.

And then Snape. Again, my disatisfaction with his character isn't necessarily Alan Rickman's fault so much as it is the person who decided to downplay all of the emotions going on with Snape in those final scenes. Part of the reason Snape's character is so contrary is because of how he handles that final showdown with Harry. To have him remain so calm and cool with Harry totally downplays what his character is really experiencing. If they had kept him as furious as he is in the books, I think it would have helped to totally make the viewers stop and consider his earlier actions. If Snape had completely lost his composure, as he originally does, it would have made the audience stop and think, wait...what could have possibly made Snape so unstable? As opposed to just making him as collected as ever, not giving the audience a chance to stop and consider the motive behind the night's events.

But ultiamtely, at the end of the night, I still have to totally reccommend this movie. It's a great way to spend a couple hours. If you're not someone who pays much attention during a movie, but instead gets caught up in what's happening the moment it's happening (like me) this movie probably won't seem lacking to you. If you're someone who pays attention to all the little details, you'll probably wind up both unsatisfied by how simple the main plot was, yet confused by the intention of other parts of the story. Either way, I laughed. I laughed a lot.

For your viewing pleasure, heres the trailer:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince stars Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent, and Alan Rickman

Alice in Wonderland Teaser Trailer

I know I already posted one clip not too long ago, but the new teaser trailer for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland was released today and it looks kind of amazing. I'm certainly very excited for this film. I mean, to be honest I'm almost sick of Tim Burton; his movies all look about the same and he's very fond of certain actors/actresses. However, I love the style and the actors/actresses, so I won't really complain. I just wish he'd vary things up a bit more. But his movies are a joy all the same.

Still can't embed anything - I'm using a different computer than usual and I think that's my problem. But anywho, here's the link: http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/alice-in-wonderland/teaser-trailer

ETA: Back on my own comp and it would appear I can embed things again. So here's the trailer directly.

Chris Clark - Herr Barr

Today I return to this blog with AN INCREDIBLY AWESOME VIDEO. No joke. I was watching Zoe Jakes solo from Tribal Fest of this year and was wondering what one of the songs she danced to was called. After doing some research I discovered it was a song by the artist Chris Clark, who I was unfamiliar with. So I decided to look him on YouTube to check out more of his stuff and stumbled across this music video. It's really something else.

To be honest, I don't really understand what's happening in it. I can gather it's a fight of some sort between what I think is a couple (even though one of them is human and the other is...a bear? A mouse? I don't know - all I do know is they seem to be communicating via a frog). However, despite not really grasping everything that's going on, it looks so wonderful that I don't much care.

Unfortunately I can't seem to embed it. No matter how many times I copy and paste the code, it doesn't want to show up all the way in the entry...I don't really know what's going on. But here's the link to it, so go watch it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq_kp6rR_ps

ETA: Back on my own comp so embedding is now possible! Voila le video:

Oh, God, Tim Burton...you're killing me!

For serious...I know his new character posters for his upcoming film Alice in Wonderland are all over the internet, but my God. They are GORGEOUS. Just GORGEOUS.





Trust me, I am VERY excited about this adaptation. Mm MMMM.

Let's See How This Works...

Here's the deal: I don't really know what's going on with this blog. I know I like the idea I have for it (of cataloging things I love and things I discover; of having that sort of directory all in one place) I'm just not sure how to organize it in a fun, appealing, unique kind of way. You can see I've kind of got some categories already started with the Movie Spotlight and the Cool Comic of the Month. I want to keep these going from now on. I think I'll also have music and book Spotlights, as well as some other things I come up with along the way.

A lot of this goes back to my love of lists that I discussed in the first entry. If I can label something I can categorize it and then easily go back and find it should I so desire. With that handy little label tool this blog has, it makes that all the more fun and easy to do. The tricky part is just my lack of experience - I've tried listing things I love in the past in notebooks and such, but never in this manner and on this scale. We'll see how it pans out. For now I'm just cruising nice and easy along the way. We'll just have to see what happens from here...

It's going to be an ADVENTUUUURE!

Pride of Baghdad

So, Borders sent me a 40% off coupon I just couldn't resist and I have to say I'm glad I didn't. While at the store tonight I stumbled upon a couple of different comics I thought looked really interesting, so went ahead and bought both. The first was "Pride of Baghdad" written by Brian K. Vaughan with art by Niko Henrichon. The second was "The Filth" written by Grant Morrison with penciling by Chris Weston and ink by Gary Erskine. After I got home I started and finished "Pride" and wow. It was really lovely.

It's based on the true story about four lions that escaped the Baghdad Zoo in 2003 after an American bombing raid. This is the illustrated story of their brief journey into freedom as told from their perspective. While the story was satisfying, I have to say I'm more in love with the art. It's gorgeous. See:









Stunning, right? The colors are just so lush, perhaps, is the word I'm looking for. Well, lush in some panels and very subdued in others. It all works out to illustrate what is already a great story in a really delightful way. I could really just sit and look at the pages in this comic for days. At some point in the near future I'll see if "The Filth" turns out to be as good a time as "Pride of Baghdad" was.

In other news about things I'm reading: I'm a bit further into An Arsonist's Guide to Writers Homes in New England by Brock Clarke and I've started to reread Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov. After those are finished up it's on to Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow and whatever is next on my book club's agenda after Lolita.

Happy reading!

Movie Spotlight: Gretchen

Long time, no blog! But I'm back with a movie rec I just couldn't resist. The other day I recorded a movie called Gretchen thinking (thanks to the description: Loner girl meets underachieving boy who opens up her mind) it would be some cheesy Donnie Darko spin-off I hadn't heard of. Boy, was I wrong. It turned out to be quite the gem of a film.

It's about a 17 year old girl named, can you guess? Gretchen, who must have some form of autism because she's just that inept at dealing with people in social situations. She also has the worst taste in clothes (even if the movie does take place in the 80's, which isn't 100% clear) and boys, tending towards those even more bizarre than she. One boy in particular, Ricky, catches her eye and when Gretchen catches Ricky macking with another girl, Gretchen's resulting behavior sends her on a whirlwind adventure that takes her to an "emotional growth boarding school," a really lame rave, her long lost father, and eventually jail.

The best part about all this is Gretchen, herself - she's basically a female version of Napoleon Dynamite. But the movie on the whole is like if you took Napoleon Dynamite and gave it the gravity of Me and You and Everyone We Know, because the movie is really more about Gretchen's attempts at relating to other people then it is about Gretchen just being ridiculous.

I was really surprised, and in a totally pleasant way, by Gretchen. I kind of want to show it to everyone I know, but I can't find it anywhere. I can't even find a trailer. But the Sundance site did have a clip from the movie, so here you go:



Gretchen was written and directed by Steve Collins and stars Courtney Davis and Stephen Root.

"Darkness-Light-Darkness"

This 8 minute animation short was shown to me a while back by my best friend, and I still get a sense of wonder when I watch it now, even having seen it numerous times. Created by Czech film maker, Jan Svankmajer, it's an allegory about the claustrophobic atmosphere of his home country, Czechoslovakia (currently Czech Republic).

However, even with it's less-than-joyous political undertones, it's still a joy to watch as a delightful little bit of animation.

The Beginning

I like things. Perhaps this is a broad statement, but I like an awful lot of things, so I think it's alright.

Sometimes it's difficult to keep up with all the things I find myself enjoying and so I've decided I'm going to try and keep track of them here. Why in a blog, you (my invisible reader) may ask? Well, in the hopes that perhaps someone will stumble across it and find a few things they rather enjoy, themselves.

We'll see where it takes me. I've no plan or format here, just me compiling the things that make me happy.

And in that way, I suppose this first entry is rather reflective of one of the first things I thoroughly like: Lists. I love lists. I love making them, I love crossing things off of them, I love the way they look on paper, or hands, or computer screens. I just love lists. And that's really what this blog is going to be - me listing things in various forms, and by the end of it I'll have quite the little set up here.

So, onwards and upwards - it's time to start.