RSS Feed

November, 2011

  1. Contemplations: PS–It’s Not About You!

    November 14, 2011 by me


    It’s funny. Sometimes I have writer’s block for days…weeks. Other times, it just flows out of me like water. I have no idea where this came from, because everything in my life is not really that complicated. My life is fine, good, actually, but there must be something deep within, or a subconscious that I am not aware of that makes words like these flow out of me. I get my inspiration from everywhere, and half the time it has nothing to do with my life, everything to do with what I just watched on TV, a song I just heard, or a problem someone else in my life is having. Geez, I can get inspiration from a door knob. It’s ridiculous. I get ideas in the most inappropriate places, like an obit or a crazy news story.

    But my favorite part is when people that I know think I am writing about them. Think that my over-analytical prose are about them, or someone they know, or affect them in some way where they think I am writing about them. It cracks me up. If only I spent as much time thinking about other people as I do me! :)

    So here is another prose for you. Has nothing to do with anything. Or does it? (Have fun over-analyzing that one…for I’m the only one who knows the truth!—and PS—I am usually making it all up in my head!)

    Not gonna over analyze the situation
    Just gonna live my life the way I can while I’m young
    Not gonna mess around
    Cause clarity is found
    Not gonna over analyze the situation

    The time has come for me to take a step back
    to stop analyzing the truth that comes from telling lies
    to you I owe nothing
    to me I owe everything
    take a beat
    and breathe it in.

    Complicate is easy to do
    A simple concept in all that is new
    the mind, she flows
    with false impressions of you
    Obscure the truth in order to enjoy this life
    Is not a way out it seems

    Tempted by the words you make
    Motivated by the hearts you take
    We’re more alike than you claim
    It’s curious how we’re one in the same.

    Not gonna over analyze the situation
    Just gonna live my life the way I can while I’m young
    Not gonna mess around
    Cause clarity is found
    Not gonna over analyze the situation

    Category Contemplations., Music Soothes the Soul., Story Time. | Tags: ,,, | No Comments

  2. Film Student for Life: In Time

    November 9, 2011 by me

    (Watch this trailer–it’s basically the movie)

    It’s like:

    Gattaca meets The Island with a little bit of Bonnie and Clyde thrown in

    Stars You’d Know:

    Lots, actually: Justin Timberlake, Big Love’s Amanda Seyfried, White Collar’s Matt Bomer, House’s Olivia Wilde, Mad Men’s Pete Campbell (sorry, fella, you’ll always be know by that name and not your own), Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki, America’s Next Top Model contestant Yaya DaCosta (whose crying scene was way better than JT’s) and an always impressive Cillian Murphy.

    The Good:

    The concept. The idea that once you turn 25, you live on borrowed time. You have to steal time, or work for time, and the concept of supply and demand, that the rich keep getting richer (by having the most time) and the poor keep getting poorer is a great contemporary societal notion. Little scenes, like watching the price of coffee go up (from 3 minutes to 4 minutes) and constantly watching you clock to make sure you have enough hours to make it to the next day is a very interesting idea to me. Very sci-fi and very cool.

    JT and Amanda’s chemistry. Yeah. Two hot actors have chemistry. Big surprise there. But I’m surprised at how well they didn’t pound it over the head with their chemistry. Sure, of course, there is a kinda-love story and Justin’s abs, and Amanda’s boobs, but it could’ve been really bad. It wasn’t. It was very equal on both their parts, and they’re Bonnie and Clyde routine was believable.

    Amanda Seyfried actually didn’t bother me as much as I thought. It must have been her hair. I think she was more believable than JT, but we’ll get to that later. The only thing I cannot get over is that she ran for way too long in way too high of heels. Sorry guys, but in the future, girl’s feet will not be made of plastic so they can run around in 5 inch heels. Just.not.happening.

    Justin and Matt’s bonding scene in an abandoned warehouse. I like this scene. I liked the way it was shot (two shots in shadows, singles, etc.) I like the exchange. It seemed like there was a little too much expository, but I felt like Matt elevate Justin’s acting. It was a nice scene.

    Cillian Murphy can do no wrong. He just oozes coolness, and as “The Timekeeper”, you could just see the amount of depth he brought to this what could have been one-dimensional character. Murphy is the type of actor that, even if the dialogue is horrid (which it was), he still brings the backstory to every single sentence that he utters. He needs to get better roles than just the villain. He is THAT good.

    The Bad:

    Oh, where to begin? I love me some Justin, but he was so miscast in this role. His “crying” scene in the beginning…so not believable. He gets beat up so many times, but he’s always WAY TOO PRETTY afterward. He has potential, he’s just not there yet. He can take his shirt off as many times as he wants (yes, please!) but a 6-pack does not, in fact, make you an actor.

    The death scenes of certain main characters are just too quick, almost comically leaving abruptly just so that JT and Amanda can start running again.

    Oh, and the running…I get that if you run, you waste less time, but at every plot turn, they are running. EVERY. SINGLE. PLOT. TWIST. It’s almost like being in a film scriptwriting class, and saying, ok, at page 40, we’re going to have them run, and then at page 100, we’re going to have this huge conflict, so let’s have them run again…so annoying.

    The dialogue: very one-dimensional. They almost always talked in soundbytes. Like they were in a music video or a trailer. It was comical at times, annoying at other times.

    The Verdict:

    In Time is a strong concept in theory, but like most theories, fell short. It lacked in plot structure, powerful dialogue and in-depth acting. When the theatre audience is laughing at the dialogue delivery (and not in a good way) you know there is something wrong with the execution. While Justin Timberlake’s performance seemed like an Acting 101 exercise, he’s got potential. Just needs a few more Chekov’s under his belt. And while I did, in fact, enjoy In Time, I would recommend this: save yourself some time and wait for it on DVD.

    Category Film Student for Life. | Tags: ,, | No Comments

  3. Story Time: Life Lesson #2349–You Don’t Have to Be Everyone’s Friend

    November 2, 2011 by me


    A Work of Fiction:

    In a world where she felt like she had to be friends with everyone she met, it became increasing frustrating to maintain friendships when agendas were not displayed properly. She was that girl that strived to be friends with everyone, who tried not to have a bad thing to say about anyone, and felt that everyone else should do the same. When reality crept in, and she began to realize that people are not always what they seem at face value, that the boy she liked may never call her back, or that a smile from a so-called confidant could have a completely malicious undertone. She liked to see the good in everything, which made her naive…a lone daisy in the field of bramble. And while she understood their frustration, the unfair nature of their current reality, she couldn’t help but feel grateful for all the things that she had. And how she should not feel at all guilty for the opportunities presented. And that by having to defend the very nature of the beast that threatened her so-call friendships, that she was actually casting a spell of distrust and disillusionment of her very existence. For, she realized, although you strive to be friends with everyone, not everyone will always be friends with you…and there is nothing you can do. Thus is life. Adapt and move on. Be yourself. For the people who know you won’t care, and the people who do care don’t matter.

    Category Contemplations., Life Observations., Story Time. | Tags: | 1 Comment