SIFF NW Film Forum Party

May Days Mix CD

Here are the songs from this month's mix tape (a little late, I admit):

1. "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes

2. "Heterosexual Man" by the Odds

3. "These Boots are Made for Walking" by Family of God

4. "Paint It Black" by Tea Party

5. "Creator" by Santogold

6. "Peaches" by The Presidents of the United States

7. "Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)" by the Eels

8. "The Good Life" by Weezer

9. "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" by Cake

10. "Be Gentle With Me" by Boy Least Likely To

11. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" - Hawaiian ukulele version

12. "Anyone Else But You" by The Moldy Peaches

13. "Now That I Don't Have You" by Jill Souble

14. "Naive" (cover of The Kooks) by Lily Allen

15. "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Young

16. "Overkill" by Men at Work

17. "Voodoo Lady" by Ween

Terminator: Salvation

Description from Netflix: All grown up in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor (Christian Bale) must lead the resistance of humans against the increasingly dominating militaristic robots in this fourth installment of the popular action-packed Terminator series. But when Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) appears, his existence confuses the mission as Connor tries to determine whether Wright has come from the future or the past -- and whether he's friend or foe.

I am a fan of the whole Terminator series and one of the few people on the planet that didn't think T3 was that bad. This was on par with that. It was good not great.

There is one god awful scene that is the equivalent of the "I hate sand" moment in the Attack of the Clones monstrosity.

Aside from that, there are some great performances especially by newcomer Sam Worthington. Christian Bale was good, but does his Batman voice a bit much. Helena Bonham Carter was really good in her few scenes.

I think this movies helps to understand why Skynet feels John is such a threat since this takes place prior to the time travel moments. This movie explains why they need to go back in time to try and kill him.

There are some nice throw backs to the past movie, but all in all, this just made me miss the Sarah Conner Chronicles are more. Stupid Fox networks canceling such an awesome series.

This Week In Netflix

"Man on Wire" (2008) Description from Netflix: Philippe Petit captured the world's attention in 1974 when he successfully walked across a high wire between New York's Twin Towers. This Oscar winner for Best Documentary explores the preparations that went into the stunt as well as the event and its aftermath. Obsessed with the towers even before they were fully constructed, Petit sneaked into the buildings several times to determine the equipment he needed to accomplish his daring feat.

It was done in the style of "Thin Blue Line" with recreations and that was okay. The problem is they keep talking about how dangerous and deadly what they were doing, but it kind of takes the danger out of it when the guy is being interviewed 35 years later. It was interesting, but not engaging.

"Nobel Son" (2007) Description from Netflix: On the verge of receiving the Nobel Prize in chemistry, Prof. Eli Michaelson (Alan Rickman) learns that kidnappers have snatched his son Barkley (Bryan Greenberg), a promising graduate student. But when the captors want a ransom of $2 million -- the exact amount of the Nobel Prize money -- the self-serving Eli refuses to cough up the cash in this vitriolic tale about an acutely dysfunctional family. Shawn Hatosy and Mary Steenburgen also star.

Muddy. Very muddy. Script needed work. It has it's moments, but the best part is how well Alan Rickman plays such a dick.

"Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (2008) Description from Netflix: Javier Bardem stars in the latest effort from legendary filmmaker Woody Allen as a flamboyant painter who finds himself in the middle of a unique relationship with Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Christina (Scarlett Johansson), a pair of American tourists. Penélope Cruz (with her first Oscar win) also stars as Bardem's insanely jealous ex-wife, Maria Elena, in this quirky romantic dramedy (winner of a Best Comedy Golden Globe) set in Barcelona.

I lifted my ban of Woody Allen movies in order to see all the 2008 nominees. I was reminded why I don't like Woody Allen. The narration was annoying and the ending made me hate the earlier parts of the movie I actually enjoyed.

"Repo: the Genetic Opera" (2008) Description from Netflix: In the near future, a biotech company saves mankind with synthetic replacements for failed organs. But those who default on their new liver or heart are subject to repossession. Shilo (Alexa Vega) navigates this dystopia while searching for a cure for her rare illness. Her odyssey is set to a number of catchy songs in this tongue-in-cheek opera. Paris Hilton, Paul Sorvino, Anthony Head and Sarah Brightman round out the deliciously diverse cast.

I tried. I tried so hard. This seems like my kind of cult movie. I really tried. I made it 20 minutes and couldn't take it any more. This should be used instead of waterboarding.

Happy Memorial Day!

Teach Your Children Well...

SIFF Opening Night and Premiere

For more check out my Winkflash Photo Albums.

This Week In Netflix

"Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" (2008) Description from Netflix: Director Roman Polanski is the focus of this documentary that explores the tumultuous events of his personal life, including the murder of his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, and the sex scandal that prompted him to flee the United States for France. Interviews with Polanski's victim, Samantha Geimer, Chinatown screenwriter Robert Towne, actress Mia Farrow and others help to reveal the many sides of this controversial figure.

Great documentary. I highly recommend. I learned a lot about Roman Polanski I didn't know. Everything makes a whole lot more sense and it is almost understandable why he fled the country.

"Taken" (2008) Description from Netflix: While vacationing with a friend in Paris, an American girl (Maggie Grace) is kidnapped by a gang of human traffickers intent on selling her into forced prostitution. Now, her father, Bryan (Liam Neeson), a former soldier, must pull out all the stops to save her. But with his best years possibly behind him, Bryan's task may be more than he can handle. Directed by Pierre Morel, this relentless action thriller also stars Famke Janssen.

This really should be called "Shots to the throat." Liam spends the whole movie hitting people in the throat. I kept waiting for him to say "I told you so" or for them to say "You were right." It never comes and the ending is a little to unrealistic for me. I can't say I recommend unless you really hate throats.

"Igor" (2008) Description from Netflix: Igor (voiced by John Cusack) is a brilliant young scientist sidelined by a physical deformity. Despite his position as a lowly assistant to mad Dr. Glickenstein (John Cleese), Igor dreams of winning the Evil Science Fair and the heart of Gretchen, a village beauty. Aided by a zombie rabbit (Steve Buscemi) and a brain in a jar (Sean Hayes), Igor might just hit the big time. Molly Shannon and Jennifer Coolidge also lend their vocal talent.

I can see why this got passed over as it isn't the best, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Steve Buscemi as the immortal rabbit with a death wish is worth watching the movie for alone.

"Henry Poole is Here" (2008) Description from Netflix: Rather than living his last days to the fullest after learning he only has six weeks left on earth, Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) cuts himself off from his fiancée and his family -- and binges on Twinkies, pizza and liquor. But a fortuitous miracle and a clash with his eccentric, meddling neighbors derail Henry's plans in director Mark Pellington's witty black comedy. Cheryl Hines and George Lopez also star.

Predictable and preachy not to mention sloppy filmmaking and slow as hell. I can't recommend. The only humor in the whole movie was shown in the commercials for it.

New Online Photo Album

I set up a new online photo album for Gertie's photos:

Gertie's Photo Album

The photos I posted up here were just highlights.

Enjoy!

Weekend of Productivity

This past weekend I declared it to be a "Weekend of Productivity." I started by getting by at 7a on Saturday morning and drinking 2 cups of my industrial strength coffee on an empty stomach.

I made a to do list. I am big on to do lists and like checking things off as I go. Sometimes, I put things on there just so I can check them off and get some momentum going. I also need to add things like "eat lunch" otherwise, I can forget to stop and do that. Keeping that in mind, here are the things I accomplished this weekend (in no real order):

1. Make to-do list
2. Make list of projects that need to be done
3. Make grocery list
4. Make and drink coffee
5. Eat lunch (sat)
6. Eat lunch (sun)
7. Eat dinner (sat)
8. Eat dinner (sun)
9. Sweep porch
10. Vacuum living room
11. Vacuum bedroom
12. Sweep/wash kitchen floor
    
13. Sweep/wash bathroom floor
14. Dust
15. Take out trash
16. Take out recycling
17. Clean bathroom (scrub tub included)
18. Clean kitchen (cleaning microwave included)
19. Clean refridgarator
20. Mending (socks and shirts)
21. Laundry - Wash, fold, iron & put away
22. Change sheets & make bed
    
23. Pay phone bill
24. Change cell phone to local number
25. Email everyone about the change
26. Calls - 5 of them (1 plus hours each - on avg.)
    
27. Emails - 10 of them (on the long side)
28. Return emails that have been sitting in my inbox
    
29. Sign up to volunteer for Seattle International Film Festival
30. Catch up on blogging (20 entries)
31. Costco
32. Staples
33. QFC (Grocery store)
34. Home Depot
35. Post Office
    
36. Delete MySpace Account
37. Go into work for 2 hours
38. Chop onions, cucumbers and goat cheese so prepped for future salads
39. Fix garage remote
40. Defrag Computer
41. Back up word documents and photos
42. Watch YouTube subscription videos (only 2)
43. Watch Hulu queued items (3 season finales, a week of Daily Show & Colbert report)
44. Watch Caprica (Need to return to a friend whom I borrowed it)
45. Watch Netflix ("Nobel Son" and "Man on Wire")
46. Make May Mix Cds
47. Download/Upload some new music
48. Burn CDs
49. Clean up iTunes by getting rid of duplicate music and stuff that is just sucking up space
50. File bills

In addition, I slept and managed to fit in two naps. I love multi-tasking.

My Grade School Principal...

...was just released from prison. Sister Norma Giannini was my principal at St. Clare de Montefalco from at least 1978 to 1989. She was convicted of having sex with two 8th grade boys at the parish prior to coming to ours. She admitted to more, but only two boys have come forward. She admitted to having sex with each of them more than 80 times each. The more I read about this the worse it gets. Here are some links to articles to know more.

Elderly Nun Gets Jail Time in Sex Case (Fox News)

Nun Admitted Abusing Chicago boy, 3 others, Records Show (Chicago Tribune)

I am beyond traumatized for even knowing this about her. I had such fond memories of her.

Taking Gertie for a Walk

Is it Christmas yet?

But I wanna see this now!

The word you are searching for is "awesomesauce."

This Week In Netflix

"Incendiary" (2008) Description from Netflix: Director Sharon Maguire's powerful drama stars Michelle Williams as an adulterous young housewife struggling to come to terms with the deaths of her husband and infant son after they're killed in a terrorist bombing at a London soccer game. Crippled by grief, the widow seeks comfort through affairs with two men (Ewan McGregor and Matthew Macfadyen), inadvertently putting herself in the midst of a dangerous love triangle.

I watched the trailer after I watched the movie and wish that the movie I watched was what was in the trailer. It was lame. Michelle Williams did a great British accent and Ewan was adorable - that's about the only good things I can say about it. Avoid!

"Last Chance Harvey" (2009) Description from Netflix: Dustin Hoffman stars in this romantic dramedy as Harvey Shine, a struggling jingle writer who risks losing his job to attend his daughter's London wedding, only to discover he is not exactly welcome at the ceremony. While seeking refuge in the airport bar, Harvey meets a lonely statistician named Kate (Emma Thompson) and soon finds himself happily thrust into an unexpected romance. Hoffman and Thompson both picked up Golden Globe nominations for their roles.

Very sweet movie. Good not great.

"Charlie Bartlett" (2007) Description from Netflix: This comedy follows the exploits of Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin), a miserable high school student who finds a novel way to fit in with his classmates: by pretending to be the school psychiatrist, dispensing advice and the occasional prescription medicine. Charlie's sympathetic ear and ready access to drugs make him popular with the students, but his activities soon attract the unwelcome attention of the school principal (Robert Downey Jr.).

I wanted to like this more. It was good, but I expected more from the characters. It also seemed to be a waste of Robert Downey, Jr. Anton was great as he was in Star Trek as well.

"Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" (2008) Description from Netflix: Director Roman Polanski is the focus of this documentary that explores the tumultuous events of his personal life, including the murder of his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, and the sex scandal that prompted him to flee the United States for France. Interviews with Polanski's victim, Samantha Geimer, Chinatown screenwriter Robert Towne, actress Mia Farrow and others help to reveal the many sides of this controversial figure.

Recommend by a friend, it was a well made documentary. I never knew more than the basics about the case. I now have a very different view of what went down. I recommend it highly.

"Appaloosa" (2008) Description from Netflix: When a malicious, land-hungry rancher (Jeremy Irons) has the marshal and deputy of Appaloosa killed, two gunmen (Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris, who also directs) arrive and try to bring law and order back to the frontier town. But when a beautiful widow of uncertain convictions (Renée Zellweger) enters the picture, the stakes are raised and soon the lead flies. Lance Henriksen co-stars in this Western based on the novel by Robert B. Parker.

Very nicely done. Ed Harris did a great job directing. A little slow, but well acted and kept you interested. "3:10 to Yuma" is better, but this was still very good.

Star Trek

Description from Netflix: Capt. Kirk (Chris Pine) and his trusted team on the starship USS Enterprise boldly go where no man has gone before in this installment of Gene Roddenberry's sci-fi franchise that follows the early days of the intergalactic adventurers. The crew includes Spock (Zachary Quinto), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Scotty (Simon Pegg) and Sulu (John Cho). Eric Bana co-stars, and Leonard Nimoy appears as an older version of Spock.


Honestly, there was only one way to go when rebooting a franchise like this and they movie found it.

I've seen it twice now and still need to see it in IMAX. It is this year's Ironman.

It is a good story, funny, heartfelt and just all around amazing. I highly recommend checking it out even if you aren't a Trekkie.

My First Visitor Arrives

As mentioned in an earlier post, my friend Susan aka Zens came in to visit. We hung out and went to a BBQ of one of the guys I worked with. Here are the photos:

I think she has something on her mind.

How cool is that?

Unfortunately, our visit was cut short due to a variety of factors. I hope to see her again soon.

Coming Soon

I am four movies shy of having seen everything nominated last year for either an Acadamey Award or a Golden Globe. Plus thanks to Netflix, I have been catching up on a lot of movies that came out last year.

Once I see those last 4 movies, I am going to post an updated list of all the best movies of 2008. This will be the first year I have ever been able and interested in seeing them all.

I will note that Slumdog Millionaire wouldn't have made my top 50 of last year.

Flowers and stuff

These are just some highlights from Gertie's first trip to the arboretum. Don't ask me what any of these actually are as I am plant illiterate. I'm hoping to have all of these up in an online album soon. In the meantime, the whole series can be found on my Facebook profile.

This Week In Netflix

"Frost/Nixon" (2008) Description from Netflix: Ron Howard directs this adaptation of Peter Morgan's popular Broadway play centered on a series of revelatory TV interviews former President Richard Nixon granted British talk show host David Frost in 1977. Nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture, the film stars Frank Langella, reprising his Tony Award-winning stage role, along with a stellar cast that includes Michael Sheen, Sam Rockwell, Toby Jones, Kevin Bacon and Oliver Platt.

Well done. I think I would like to see the stage version. I wish that instead of the actors doing interviews in between, they had used the real people. Similar to what they did in "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind."

"JCVD" (2008) Description from Netflix: Jean-Claude Van Damme plays himself in this comic action film. While visiting his family at home in Belgium, Van Damme is caught in the middle of a robbery, and the cops think the aging star has snapped and pulled the job himself. Now, on top of dealing with financial problems, a nasty custody battle and a waning career, he has to make like a real-life action hero and find his way out of a very tense situation.

Impressive movie. A little different than you would think especially as most of it is in French with subtitles. The opening sequence is brilliant. Worth checking out. You will see Jean-Claude in a whole new light.

"Meet the Robinsons" (2007) Description from Netflix: In this animated adventure, brilliant preteen inventor Lewis (voiced by Daniel Hansen) creates a memory scanner to retrieve his earliest recollections and find out why his mother gave him up for adoption. But when the villainous Bowler Hat Guy steals the machine, Lewis is ready to give up on his quest -- until the mysterious Wilbur Robinson (Wesley Singerman) shows up on the scene, whisking Lewis to the future to find the scanner ... and his mom.

I was told this was "not that bad." Meh. I didn't care for it at all. Not worth watching at all. All the best parts were in the commercial.

"The Duchess" (2008) Description from Netflix: Keira Knightley stars as Georgiana, duchess of Devonshire, in this adaptation of Amanda Foreman's novel. Unhappily married to the duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes, in a Golden Globe-nominated role), Georgiana indulges in extravagant vices and begins a scandalous affair with politician Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper). Director Saul Dibb's drama about the aristocratic 18th-century femme fatale received an Oscar for Best Costume Design.

It was okay. Definitely deserved the best costume design. Seems like a better novel.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Crap. Pure Crap. Waste of Ryan Reynolds. Movie does not exist to me much like X-Men 3. I'm not going to even dignify this by talking about it anymore.

Websites I Think Everyone Should Read

I use a website called "Bloglines" which allows me to look at multiple websites one at a time without having to go to each site individually. It lists the side in the frame on the left and opens the website on the frame on the right.

Here are the sites I read broken into categories:

Daily News
Boing Boing
Neatorama
io9 (best site for scifi news)
Whedonesque (all things Joss Whedon)
Geekologie
Mental Floss

Blogs
Edgar Wright's (he's a director I mention a lot)
Magic Lamp (some dude who watches a lot of the same things I do)
John Hodgeman's
Austen Blog (all things Jane Austen)
Hulu's Blog
The Mung Hour (a friend)
Ryall Time (a friend who happens to be the Editor of IDW Comics)

Design
NOTCOT
Swissmiss

Informative
Lifehacker
Unclutterer
iKea Hacker

Randomness
Cute Overload
Puppies and Flowers


The rest are specific to photography or Seattle. I recommend clicking on all the above links especially bloglines!