Saturday, September 27, 2008

Pushing Daisies

Saturday, September 27, 2008 0


I remember seeing the commercials last year for the season premier of Pushing Daisies and thinking it looked pretty cool. I never got around to watching it then, and now I keep hearing how good it is and seeing it on various facebook friends' favorite shows list. It's won something like 6 emmys, right? I figure I should give it a try.

Turns out I'm pretty glad I started watching the show. It's like if Dr. Seuss wrote a fairytale that Tim Burton filmed. The show has a narrator (which would normally annoy the shit out of me, but its kind of essentail for a fairytale)who tells the story of Ned, the pie maker, (Lee Pace) who has the power to bring dead people back to life by touching them just once, but the second time he touches someone they are dead for good. The show explains it as "first touch: life, Second touch: dead forever." However, he soon learns by default (resurrecting his mother and killing the neighbor) that if he attempts to keep someone alive longer than a minute another person must die to... you know preserve the natural balance of the universe. As an adult Ned grows up a solitary individual who makes his pies and keeps to himself, until he gets a job resurrecting people who were murdered to find out who the killer was so he can collect the reward money.

Ned's partner in (solving) crime is Emerson Cod(Chi McBride) the only other live person that knows his secret. Emerson is a detective and their "business" of solving murders was his idea.I'm not really sure what his draw is in the show. I don't really feel any connection with him myself, or that he has one with Ned. I guess maybe his character isn't meant to have much depth.

As a child Ned was in love with his neighbor Charlotte "Chuck" Charles(Anna Friel) . They had their "first and only" kiss at their respective parents funeral (as it was chuck's father who died when Ned brought his own mother back to life)and didn't see each other until her's is the next murder he has to solve. However, once bringing her back to life he can't bring himself to kill her again, thus she joins the business and secures her role in the show. Chuck who grew up taking care of her two agoraphobic aunts (one of which is missing an eye due to the missuse of cat litter) entertains herself by raising bees to sell honey for the homeless and reading mass quantities of books. She is a sweet character. although not really that cute, a great love interest for Ned.

Really, besides my curiosity and it's good reception, the only reason I started watching this show is because I learned Kristin Chenoweth is a supporting character, named Olive Snook. I really just cannot resist watching any other endeavors from characters who were once on the West Wing. Kristin's character, Olive Snook is essentially good comedic relief, she explains that she used to think masturbation was chewing your food. She doesn't play a big part in the show yet, Her only connection with the group is that she works for Ned and happens to be head over heels in love with him. Her nuances are not in the least subtle as she paws Ned telling him "we all need to be touched." I hope that she becomes a larger part of the show in the future, and maybe some sort of bad guy? That would be interesting.

The cinematography in this show is fantastic and instantly striking. The colors are bright and bold. The show's look reminded me of Speed Racer a lot, and I happen to love that movie. The alliteration and the minimal background information on characters contributes to the fairytale theme. Normally I'm more interested in character development in a show, but the plot on this one has hooked me first. The score isn't lyric based like reality tv, it's all piano and strings setting the tone for each scene.

by and large this show is a first for it's genre and has earned another viewing from me. It's certainly not intellectually stimulating, but neither is Gossip Girls and I still love that show. I'll let you know how the first season goes.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Fats Domino looks like a cartoon cat

Friday, September 26, 2008 0
My History of Rock professor showed this video in class the other day and I fell in love with Fats Domino. This song is fantastic.

Friday, September 19, 2008

The Burn After Watching

Friday, September 19, 2008 0


It's really very rare that everything you've heard about a movie from reviews and other people is exactly right. Well, that's how I felt about Burn After Reading.

Here are the things I heard before going into the movie:
It's extremely twisted and the plot is hard to describe
Brad Pitt is hilariously awesome
It's not as good as No Country for Old Men


If you read movie reviews at all there's really no need for me to delve into those because you've probably already read it somewhere else,so I'll try not to repeat.

I cannot honestly say that I am a fan of the Coen brother. I mean there's certainly not anything to dislike about them, but I just haven't seen many of their movies. I've currently only seen Three: O'brother where Art Though, Big Lebowski, and Fargo and I still have yet to see all of No Country for Old Men. I know I know, whatever. My point being I didn't go in with overly high expectations and come out disappointed by an average film.

Obviously he would describe it perfectly, but I think Joel categorized the movie best when he said the sountrack was "something big and bombastic, something important sounding but absolutely meaningless." That's pretty much what the movie itself is. What seems like a stab and the CIA and internet dating and idiots is just a silly light-hearted movie focused more on the characters than plot, without any kind of bigger message.

Some critics would (and have said) say that this movie is perfectly cast. Really I just like to think that's what all of the actors are like in real life. Brad Pitt is a generally good-hearted idiot who has no real motive for his actions and is a little on the vain side. Tilda Swinson just looks like a bitch. I think it might be because she's ugly, and has really pointy abrasive looking facial features, or maybe I just think that because I can't bring myself to like her after seeing The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. George Clooney is undoubtedly a ladies man in real life who is probably so neurotic from all of those years having to play a doctor on E.R. Doctors are all a little neurotic if you ask me, and you should because I work for one. I don't really know John Malkovich personally although, I can imagine having Cameron Diaz and John Cusack crawl in and out of your brain all the time would make you a bit touchy.

Anyway, The best way I can describe this movie is droll and completely unpredictable. None of the characters are really all that loveable with the exception of Brad Pitt who you feel bad for because he is just retarded. Frances McDormand has some potential for compassion because she was just looking for love in all the wrong places, and I would have felt bad if she just wasn't so annoying. After it was over both Sean and I decided we would have rather waited to see it on Netflix.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

I want!!!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008 0





I found this site of people taking family photos with their pets through one of my regulars apartmenttherapy.com and could not resist sharing them. The site is petphotobooth.com There are more pictures don't you worry your pretty little head.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

A review of the Common concert

Sunday, September 14, 2008 0

I've really been buying a lot of concert tickets this month. Normally I'll go to one every other month, but since I got my new job working for Satan I can actually afford to buy tickets more often. Now, every time I go to a good show I always come out saying "holy shit, that was the best concert I've ever been to!" So every concert is either the best concert or not the best concert I've ever been to, nothing in between. Anyway, I just went to the Common concert last Thursday night totally stoked because I always have a good time at a hip hop concert, not to mention Common is a bad ass with his sexy bald head.

I had to walk the 20 something blocks from work to get there, which would really have been a downer but my body is incapable of sweating unless I'm standing on the surface of the sun. I actually ended up getting there really early (7:30) considering Common didn't come on until 10:00, but hip hop concerts are not worth going to if you aren't in the center of the pulsating ball of energy created by adoring fans near the front.

So I stake out my prime location about seven or eight undefinable rows back from the stage and listen to the opener, Free Sol. Free sol, who described his band as "hip hop with a little bit of rock" isn't terrible, but made some pretty mood altering mistakes. It's always a bad idea to demand the audience chant things during your first song. I mean,I'm all about the chanting it's a good way to ramp the momentum, but you gotta earn my trust first. I'm not gunna just shout out what ever someone tells me to repeat. Nor should you try to let the audience fill in the words to your song when they have no idea who you are. The poor guy just could not get the audience involved like he wanted and then just got angry about it like a little hip hop diva pussybitch. He just really didn't make a great impression on anyone, which is sad because had I not seen what a tool this guy was I probably would have listened to his music and liked it.

Despite the lack of enthusiasm from the crowd it's still piping hot and we're all dying of heat stroke like regular geriatrics. Well guess who didn't give a fuck, Common, that's who. He didn't come out for like 45 minutes, which, ok I get it, it takes you a while to set your stage, get your instruments tuned, and finish whatever it is you're doing in your trailor, but I think you should at least recognize that we love you and here in Texas it's still 103 degrees at 9:00 and maybe only do a couple lines. Is that so much to ask? Finally Common decides to join us after the crowd has been chanting his name for a good 15 minutes. I'll admit he looked smooth as hell in his leather jacked sun shades and shiny bald head and he played a pretty great show with songs from good ole Resurrection, Be, and probably some others I haven't heard.
Things are going good, the shows awesome and it seems like everyone is generally enjoying themselves... and then about an hour after he started Common abruptly introduces his band and throws us the deuce. I guess maybe he wasn't feeling it who knows, but he sure as hell didn't call us back after that first date. He didn't even come on to do an encore and I've never been to a concert where the artist didn't do an encore. It's fine, whatever, my feelings aren't hurt but I can assure you Common if we happen to meet on the street at some time in the future I will not stop to say hello and I will continue walking without making eye contact in any way.

Not the best show I've ever been to.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Polyvore Francais?

Friday, September 12, 2008 1
I just discovered this fantastic site where you can create a collage from images on the internet that may or may not be provided by the site. I've been going crazy over these collages all week. I'm partial to the fashion ones myself, and as soon as I can get the courage and time I'll get a collage going and post it here.

Here are a few neat ones.






check it out, it's pretty awesome.
 
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