Monday, January 30, 2006
Chill Time Is Gone
I've done some school work. Some job work. But mainly I've just been sitting around chilling, sleeping, watching movies, podcasting, etc.
Lord of War is a pretty good movie. I liked the themes, and some of the shots were fantastic, particularly the opening one.
The Wild Bunch is an above-par Western, mainly worth seeing due to its extreme violence. It's insane. It came out in 1969, and I can see why it almost got an NC-17 rating. Over 90,000 blanks were fired during production (more than during the entire Mexican Revolution) and over 10,000 squibs (fake bullet hits) were detonated. The blood just spurts. It's violent outlaw fun, and the editing is extremely kinetic. I think there are over 3,000 cuts, some barely perceptible to the naked eye.
Vintage21 was good today, as usual. We finished up the Ownership seminar. I found out their views on church structure, roles of men and women, etc. It was good. Finally, I think I'm beginning to understand "headship" theology in a way that is biblical, and that isn't (or at least appears to be) sexist or about submission as a form of oppression. Good stuff.
Also, the first feature was finally released on the podcast today. Erik introduces all the new stuff that's going to be going on, followed by he and I discussing the news and a couple of trailers. The quality for my sections isn't great, but hopefully that will be improved since he just got a new mixer for recording. Check it out.
Plan for today (since it's 1 AM): Wake up. Eat breakfast. Go to 6 hours of class straight. Come back and probably collapse. Do a few hours of job work. Eat dinner with my Aunt Sherri, since she'll be in town. Maybe watch a movie.
Also: Jim Gaffigan is a funny, funny comedian.
Quotes of Da Moment:
"People always want to try on my glasses. That's rude. I don't go up to people with hairpieces, 'Hey, let me try on your wig. Let me sit in your wheelchair. Oh my god, you are so crippled.'" --Jim Gaffigan
"I've only dated one Asian girl. But she was really Asian. She was a panda." --Jim Gaffigan
Lord of War is a pretty good movie. I liked the themes, and some of the shots were fantastic, particularly the opening one.
The Wild Bunch is an above-par Western, mainly worth seeing due to its extreme violence. It's insane. It came out in 1969, and I can see why it almost got an NC-17 rating. Over 90,000 blanks were fired during production (more than during the entire Mexican Revolution) and over 10,000 squibs (fake bullet hits) were detonated. The blood just spurts. It's violent outlaw fun, and the editing is extremely kinetic. I think there are over 3,000 cuts, some barely perceptible to the naked eye.
Vintage21 was good today, as usual. We finished up the Ownership seminar. I found out their views on church structure, roles of men and women, etc. It was good. Finally, I think I'm beginning to understand "headship" theology in a way that is biblical, and that isn't (or at least appears to be) sexist or about submission as a form of oppression. Good stuff.
Also, the first feature was finally released on the podcast today. Erik introduces all the new stuff that's going to be going on, followed by he and I discussing the news and a couple of trailers. The quality for my sections isn't great, but hopefully that will be improved since he just got a new mixer for recording. Check it out.
Plan for today (since it's 1 AM): Wake up. Eat breakfast. Go to 6 hours of class straight. Come back and probably collapse. Do a few hours of job work. Eat dinner with my Aunt Sherri, since she'll be in town. Maybe watch a movie.
Also: Jim Gaffigan is a funny, funny comedian.
Quotes of Da Moment:
"People always want to try on my glasses. That's rude. I don't go up to people with hairpieces, 'Hey, let me try on your wig. Let me sit in your wheelchair. Oh my god, you are so crippled.'" --Jim Gaffigan
"I've only dated one Asian girl. But she was really Asian. She was a panda." --Jim Gaffigan
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 1/30/2006 12:59:00 AM 
Saturday, January 28, 2006
I Love The Weekend
Yay. It's 2:23 AM on Saturday morning, and I get to sleep late. Weekends are a gift from heaven Here's a quick update:
My Nanny McPhee review can be found here.
Also, it looks like things with the podcast are finally starting to really get moving. We've been having trouble lately keeping to schedule, mainly because of the long time it takes for Erik to edit the shows. For example, we recorded a very long 2005 recap while I was in El Salvador, but that probably won't ever be posted. It just takes too long to edit. And that's not the only show to have fallen by the wayside. But luckily, he just picked up a new multi-track mixer for recording, and that will also tremendously improve the time it takes to edit. We're talking doing in 2 hours what it would take 20 to do the old way. Hopefully now my news segments will actually be posted.
So yeah, that's going well. My Nanny McPhee review was just posted, and the website has been redone and much improved. Clickie.
I saw The Aristocrats. It was as vulgar as expected (forget PG-13 stuff, this is definitely NC-17), but not as funny as I'd hoped. Basically, it's a documentary about the dirtiest joke ever, and how different comedians tell it. The majority of comedians all know it, but they rarely perform it in front of an audience, simply because it involves getting so vulgar. It's a unique joke in that it's not about the punchline - truth be told, the joke isn't even that funny. It's about what the comedian can do with it. As they say in the movie, it's like jazz - there are certain notes that have to be in there, but the melody in general is completely up to the musician. This is a joke that lives or dies on the comedian's presentation of it, and how far to the extreme they're willing to go.
I don't know. I was expecting more. Once you hear the same joke a few times, it doesn't matter how vulgar the next guy makes it. You get the point. Bob Saget was completely insane though...I think he probably wins the award in terms of how far you can go with it. It's a joke that relies completely on shock value, and once that's gone (which it probably will be after you hear it a few times) the only interesting things in the movie come from people talking about the joke or people re-structuring or modifying the punchline.
The segment with Gilbert Gottfriend is fascinating, though. It's not that his telling of the joke is funny, it's what's going on as he says it. He told it to an audience at a Comedy Central roast to Hugh Hefner three weeks after September 11. He went on, told a 9/11 joke, and nearly got booed off the stage. So he responded by telling The Aristocrats. The room was full of comedians, and they all knew the joke, but something about the situation and the way he told it had them falling on the floor, laughing. One guy later said he almost died because he couldn't breathe. It was incredible. People went on record as saying it was one of the most amazing tellings of a joke they'd ever seen in their entire lives, and that it was almost a spiritual experience, because it immediately united everyone present. It makes you think: What qualifies as vulgar? Can vulgarity ever been a good thing? How far is too far? Is there a limit in comedy?
After seeing that, I came back here and watched The Fifth Element with Cherry. It's a so-so movie, good if you just want to shut your brain off and watch Bruce Willis do his thing.
Oh, and Thandie Newton has been cast as the new Bond girl. Whatever small hope I had for Casino Royale has just vanished. First they get a blonde guy for Bond, and now Thandie Newton? Are they retarded? I mean, yeah, she's sorta attractive, but it's not like she's an awesome actress (though I did like her in Crash). And if they just want someone to stand there and look hot, there are better girls out there. Scarlett Johannsen, Keira Knightley, Eva Longoria...I mean, really. Thandie Newton isn't exactly near the top of the list of "Hot Women Who Would Make Good Bond Girls."
*sigh*
Quote of Da Moment:
"I think you can put people to death for what goes on in the best versions of this joke."
My Nanny McPhee review can be found here.
Also, it looks like things with the podcast are finally starting to really get moving. We've been having trouble lately keeping to schedule, mainly because of the long time it takes for Erik to edit the shows. For example, we recorded a very long 2005 recap while I was in El Salvador, but that probably won't ever be posted. It just takes too long to edit. And that's not the only show to have fallen by the wayside. But luckily, he just picked up a new multi-track mixer for recording, and that will also tremendously improve the time it takes to edit. We're talking doing in 2 hours what it would take 20 to do the old way. Hopefully now my news segments will actually be posted.
So yeah, that's going well. My Nanny McPhee review was just posted, and the website has been redone and much improved. Clickie.
I saw The Aristocrats. It was as vulgar as expected (forget PG-13 stuff, this is definitely NC-17), but not as funny as I'd hoped. Basically, it's a documentary about the dirtiest joke ever, and how different comedians tell it. The majority of comedians all know it, but they rarely perform it in front of an audience, simply because it involves getting so vulgar. It's a unique joke in that it's not about the punchline - truth be told, the joke isn't even that funny. It's about what the comedian can do with it. As they say in the movie, it's like jazz - there are certain notes that have to be in there, but the melody in general is completely up to the musician. This is a joke that lives or dies on the comedian's presentation of it, and how far to the extreme they're willing to go.
I don't know. I was expecting more. Once you hear the same joke a few times, it doesn't matter how vulgar the next guy makes it. You get the point. Bob Saget was completely insane though...I think he probably wins the award in terms of how far you can go with it. It's a joke that relies completely on shock value, and once that's gone (which it probably will be after you hear it a few times) the only interesting things in the movie come from people talking about the joke or people re-structuring or modifying the punchline.
The segment with Gilbert Gottfriend is fascinating, though. It's not that his telling of the joke is funny, it's what's going on as he says it. He told it to an audience at a Comedy Central roast to Hugh Hefner three weeks after September 11. He went on, told a 9/11 joke, and nearly got booed off the stage. So he responded by telling The Aristocrats. The room was full of comedians, and they all knew the joke, but something about the situation and the way he told it had them falling on the floor, laughing. One guy later said he almost died because he couldn't breathe. It was incredible. People went on record as saying it was one of the most amazing tellings of a joke they'd ever seen in their entire lives, and that it was almost a spiritual experience, because it immediately united everyone present. It makes you think: What qualifies as vulgar? Can vulgarity ever been a good thing? How far is too far? Is there a limit in comedy?
After seeing that, I came back here and watched The Fifth Element with Cherry. It's a so-so movie, good if you just want to shut your brain off and watch Bruce Willis do his thing.
Oh, and Thandie Newton has been cast as the new Bond girl. Whatever small hope I had for Casino Royale has just vanished. First they get a blonde guy for Bond, and now Thandie Newton? Are they retarded? I mean, yeah, she's sorta attractive, but it's not like she's an awesome actress (though I did like her in Crash). And if they just want someone to stand there and look hot, there are better girls out there. Scarlett Johannsen, Keira Knightley, Eva Longoria...I mean, really. Thandie Newton isn't exactly near the top of the list of "Hot Women Who Would Make Good Bond Girls."
*sigh*
Quote of Da Moment:
"I think you can put people to death for what goes on in the best versions of this joke."
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 1/28/2006 02:20:00 AM
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Weekend's Over
The Chumscrubber is a bizarre, original movie. Not excellent, but certainly much better than critics made it out to be. It seemed very Donnie Darko-esque to me, for some reason. Don't know why.
Tomorrow I start my computing class, which means on Mondays I'm going to have 6 hours of classes straight. I don't know what I'm going to do about lunch. I'm not looking forward to it...it's gonna be a killer.
Church was awesome today. Vintage21 reminds me a whole lot of Seguidores - they even seem to do the same series. Right now we're in Revelation; the refreshing thing is that Vintage approaches it differently. For example, Kenneth took the letter to Ephesus and used it to show how we need to remember to make Christ our first love. Tyler took that same letter, completely ignored that, and used Ephesus as an example of how churches should be today. Today the sermon was similar, since Smyrna was the only church God didn't find a fault with. There were a whole lot of elements to the sermon, such as how true Christianity involves real suffering, and the USA is not persecuting Christians as much as some would have us believe. He also focused a lot on how American Christianity is probably the biggest problem with the country. It's not biblical. It's safe. Christians these days find it easy to pick and choose what they want, and leave out the challenging, world-changing stuff, like giving and serving and suffering. We're supposed to work for the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of the USA, or the kingdom of *insert your name here*. Tyler is blunt, and I like that. He pretty much said: "Lots of pastors say that God wants you to be rich and prosperous and successful. That is not biblical. And this is the kind of thing we need to remember, and change our lives for. Some of us need to stop looking inwards, and start looking outwards. Others of us will need to change our jobs because we work for large corporations that make us rich, but do so by harming others." Etc. etc.
Ah, his name is Tyler and he's preaching against materialism and consumerism. I love movie-related irony.
After the service, I stayed for a session about "ownership" and becoming an "owner." Basically, an "owner" is the Vintage21 term for "member." They don't use the word "member," and I like that. "Membership" in a church is non-Biblical. You become a member of a gym, or Blockbuster, in exchange for a product. The Christian Church isn't like that. We are the body of Christ. Membership implies exclusiveness - "authorized personnel only." Christ is not exclusive. To steal a quote from the Vintage21 official doctrine: "Vintage21 believes that membership, with our culture's understanding of the word, is not the most appropriate role for us in Christ's body. Being a part of a church is better comprehended with the word ownership. Throughout the New Testament, followers of Christ are called heirs or co-heirs to God's kingdom (Titus 3:7, Romans 8:17, 1 Peter 3:7). The Greek definition of heir is to possess or own. therefore, each follower of Christ co-owns the church with Jesus Christ."
I like that.
So yeah. We had a 45-minute session in which Tyler handed out copies of the official Vintage21 doctrine. We discussed half of it, and we'll cover the second half next week. Today we got through why they're called Vintage21 (I get it now!), the vision, the mission, core values and basic beliefs. We covered the goals of the church, as well as their stance on the Bible, baptism, communion, etc. So far I'm loving it, because I agree with all of it. For example, a few interesting things are:
1) They believe that the Bible is inspired by God, but written by men, and therefore subject to translation and clerical errors. However, this does not alter the central message of it at all. Finally, a church that doesn't freak out at the suggestion that the Bible isn't 100% perfect, which it isn't. Tyler is very big on "exogesis", and takes the historical and cultural elements into consideration. He often goes into details about the Greek words in certain passages, so we understand what was originally implied, rather than what has been slightly altered in modern versions and translations.
2) They believe that baptism is not a requisite for salvation, but a symbol of faith in Christ. Submersion and sprinkling are both fine.
3) Communion is viewed both as an act of rememberance and an act of celebration. Communion is offered every week in the back of the church. You do it whenever you feel it's time for you to do it, and they recommend doing it with friends. It's more casual and "celebratory" that way.
Next week we'll get into the details about church leadership, roles of men and women, etc. So far I'm digging it. As long as something doesn't completely offend me, I'm becoming an owner, and getting involved in all that entails (like joining a "Home Group", which I have a feeling is basically the Vintage21 version of a small group or Grupo de 12). And on Tuesday night they have a meeting for all the owners where they read the Bible and discuss what exactly the church is biblically supposed to be, its methods, its goals, etc. So I'm going to that.
Tomorrow night I have a Technician meeting and IV small group. On Thursdays I have IV large group. I record podcasts on Monday and Friday nights, as well as sometimes on the weekends. Between class, Christian-related activities, and movie stuff, I have my hands full. If this computing class turns out to be total crap, I might drop it and just take 15 hours this semester. I can always study the material over the summer and place out anyway.
Life keeps alternating between bad and good. A few days last week sucked. Today was great. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: 2006 is going to be a year of struggle. I keep realizing more and more that life isn't black-and-white. Life is very, very gray. I'm the kind of guy who approaches issues with his head. I think about things. A lot. There are so many variables and unknown things to take into account...it's hard to figure out for sure what's right, what's wrong, what God likes and what God hates. I think God is a flexible dude. But I also think He has boundaries. The trouble is finding out where those boundaries are.
Lots of Christians approach the world like it's black-and-white, right-and-wrong, with no room for in between. I don't see it that way at all. Life isn't that easy, and I think it's easy to get caught up in blanket statements without really thinking about all the elements. Examples of gray things:
1) All things sexual. That's just the way it is. Whether it be about sexual orientation, gender variances, sexual behaviour, etc. There's stuff the Bible isn't clear about. Are all forms of homosexuality a sin? I have no idea. What about intersexuals? I'm clueless. How far is too far? That's a bogus question to begin with.
2) Religion vs. Christianity. Sometimes it's hard to see clearly what Christ is really all about, as opposed to what we, the church and society want to hear. Let's not forget all the effects background and culture can have on how we view an issue.
3) Morality in general. There's gray stuff between the extremes of right and wrong. The Bible says, "Thou shalt not lie." Surely there are situations in which lying wouldn't be wrong, and dare I say beneficial. That's what I mean by a "blanket statement." I think God looks at each individual situation differently. The problem is figuring out which ones he approves of and which ones He's against.
Those are my thought-provoking ramblings of the day. That's all I can think to say. Oh yeah, and today I hung out with some cool homeless people. I'd go into details, but it's 12:30 and I need some serious sleep.
Quote of Da Moment:
"One morning, I awoke to find my head was no longer attached to my body. I'm not dead, but who could call this a life? So I do what I can, in this city of freaks and subhuman creatures. I became... The Chumscrubber."
--The Chumscrubber
Tomorrow I start my computing class, which means on Mondays I'm going to have 6 hours of classes straight. I don't know what I'm going to do about lunch. I'm not looking forward to it...it's gonna be a killer.
Church was awesome today. Vintage21 reminds me a whole lot of Seguidores - they even seem to do the same series. Right now we're in Revelation; the refreshing thing is that Vintage approaches it differently. For example, Kenneth took the letter to Ephesus and used it to show how we need to remember to make Christ our first love. Tyler took that same letter, completely ignored that, and used Ephesus as an example of how churches should be today. Today the sermon was similar, since Smyrna was the only church God didn't find a fault with. There were a whole lot of elements to the sermon, such as how true Christianity involves real suffering, and the USA is not persecuting Christians as much as some would have us believe. He also focused a lot on how American Christianity is probably the biggest problem with the country. It's not biblical. It's safe. Christians these days find it easy to pick and choose what they want, and leave out the challenging, world-changing stuff, like giving and serving and suffering. We're supposed to work for the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of the USA, or the kingdom of *insert your name here*. Tyler is blunt, and I like that. He pretty much said: "Lots of pastors say that God wants you to be rich and prosperous and successful. That is not biblical. And this is the kind of thing we need to remember, and change our lives for. Some of us need to stop looking inwards, and start looking outwards. Others of us will need to change our jobs because we work for large corporations that make us rich, but do so by harming others." Etc. etc.
Ah, his name is Tyler and he's preaching against materialism and consumerism. I love movie-related irony.
After the service, I stayed for a session about "ownership" and becoming an "owner." Basically, an "owner" is the Vintage21 term for "member." They don't use the word "member," and I like that. "Membership" in a church is non-Biblical. You become a member of a gym, or Blockbuster, in exchange for a product. The Christian Church isn't like that. We are the body of Christ. Membership implies exclusiveness - "authorized personnel only." Christ is not exclusive. To steal a quote from the Vintage21 official doctrine: "Vintage21 believes that membership, with our culture's understanding of the word, is not the most appropriate role for us in Christ's body. Being a part of a church is better comprehended with the word ownership. Throughout the New Testament, followers of Christ are called heirs or co-heirs to God's kingdom (Titus 3:7, Romans 8:17, 1 Peter 3:7). The Greek definition of heir is to possess or own. therefore, each follower of Christ co-owns the church with Jesus Christ."
I like that.
So yeah. We had a 45-minute session in which Tyler handed out copies of the official Vintage21 doctrine. We discussed half of it, and we'll cover the second half next week. Today we got through why they're called Vintage21 (I get it now!), the vision, the mission, core values and basic beliefs. We covered the goals of the church, as well as their stance on the Bible, baptism, communion, etc. So far I'm loving it, because I agree with all of it. For example, a few interesting things are:
1) They believe that the Bible is inspired by God, but written by men, and therefore subject to translation and clerical errors. However, this does not alter the central message of it at all. Finally, a church that doesn't freak out at the suggestion that the Bible isn't 100% perfect, which it isn't. Tyler is very big on "exogesis", and takes the historical and cultural elements into consideration. He often goes into details about the Greek words in certain passages, so we understand what was originally implied, rather than what has been slightly altered in modern versions and translations.
2) They believe that baptism is not a requisite for salvation, but a symbol of faith in Christ. Submersion and sprinkling are both fine.
3) Communion is viewed both as an act of rememberance and an act of celebration. Communion is offered every week in the back of the church. You do it whenever you feel it's time for you to do it, and they recommend doing it with friends. It's more casual and "celebratory" that way.
Next week we'll get into the details about church leadership, roles of men and women, etc. So far I'm digging it. As long as something doesn't completely offend me, I'm becoming an owner, and getting involved in all that entails (like joining a "Home Group", which I have a feeling is basically the Vintage21 version of a small group or Grupo de 12). And on Tuesday night they have a meeting for all the owners where they read the Bible and discuss what exactly the church is biblically supposed to be, its methods, its goals, etc. So I'm going to that.
Tomorrow night I have a Technician meeting and IV small group. On Thursdays I have IV large group. I record podcasts on Monday and Friday nights, as well as sometimes on the weekends. Between class, Christian-related activities, and movie stuff, I have my hands full. If this computing class turns out to be total crap, I might drop it and just take 15 hours this semester. I can always study the material over the summer and place out anyway.
Life keeps alternating between bad and good. A few days last week sucked. Today was great. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: 2006 is going to be a year of struggle. I keep realizing more and more that life isn't black-and-white. Life is very, very gray. I'm the kind of guy who approaches issues with his head. I think about things. A lot. There are so many variables and unknown things to take into account...it's hard to figure out for sure what's right, what's wrong, what God likes and what God hates. I think God is a flexible dude. But I also think He has boundaries. The trouble is finding out where those boundaries are.
Lots of Christians approach the world like it's black-and-white, right-and-wrong, with no room for in between. I don't see it that way at all. Life isn't that easy, and I think it's easy to get caught up in blanket statements without really thinking about all the elements. Examples of gray things:
1) All things sexual. That's just the way it is. Whether it be about sexual orientation, gender variances, sexual behaviour, etc. There's stuff the Bible isn't clear about. Are all forms of homosexuality a sin? I have no idea. What about intersexuals? I'm clueless. How far is too far? That's a bogus question to begin with.
2) Religion vs. Christianity. Sometimes it's hard to see clearly what Christ is really all about, as opposed to what we, the church and society want to hear. Let's not forget all the effects background and culture can have on how we view an issue.
3) Morality in general. There's gray stuff between the extremes of right and wrong. The Bible says, "Thou shalt not lie." Surely there are situations in which lying wouldn't be wrong, and dare I say beneficial. That's what I mean by a "blanket statement." I think God looks at each individual situation differently. The problem is figuring out which ones he approves of and which ones He's against.
Those are my thought-provoking ramblings of the day. That's all I can think to say. Oh yeah, and today I hung out with some cool homeless people. I'd go into details, but it's 12:30 and I need some serious sleep.
Quote of Da Moment:
"One morning, I awoke to find my head was no longer attached to my body. I'm not dead, but who could call this a life? So I do what I can, in this city of freaks and subhuman creatures. I became... The Chumscrubber."
--The Chumscrubber
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 1/22/2006 11:55:00 PM
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Sleep Is A Good Thing
It's 2:30. I'm tired. I figured since I'm up this late I might as well give a quick update as to what's been going on.
I'm up late tonight because I spent the last few hours catching up on some Sociology reading. I'd have done it earlier, except I went to Mitch's Tavern on Hillsborough to meet with a group from Vintage21 to "discuss God, life and culture over a pint." Yes, Mitch's Tavern is a bar. Yes, a lot of people were consuming alcohol (but drunkenness is not allowed). No, I was not one of them. It was just an informal gathering where we sat around chit-chatted about everything from life experiences to religion and theology. Good stuff. I'll probably go back next time they have it.
I am convinced this semester is going to be a busy one, academically. All of my classes require tons of reading, and I still haven't gotten all of my books yet. Wonderful. Plus, I have to write weekly summaries of my Sociology readings. That's going to be tons of fun (note the sarcasm).
Let's not forget I also have a job that requires me to squeeze in half a dozen hours of work every week as well.
And that's just the academic stuff. That's not including The Technician, podcast, church, Intervarsity small group, and Intervarsity large group. Oh yeah, and I have to find time to eat. Can you say the word "packed"? That's gonna be my life, and I'm not looking forward to it.
One of the reasons I'm not looking forward to it is that I want some spare time to watch movies and Battlestar Galactica. Mason and I finished the first season - the finale was spectacular. I believe I yelled "HOLY CRAP!" very loudly at one point. We're now two episodes into Season 2 (he downloaded it)...and I'm loving it. I can see why lots of people consider this the best sci-fi show of all time; it just might be. It feels more like a drama in space than most science fiction. It's not episodic, like CSI or Everybody Loves Raymond, where every episode you've got the same characters in a completely different situation from the last episode. It's entirely progressive, more like The West Wing as opposed ER or Star Trek. It feels more like a really long movie than a television show.
The plot/character development is insane. And one thing I'm really digging is the attention to details of all aspects of this fictional universe. It's not all about blowing stuff up. Politics plays a heavy role, as does social relationships between characters (friendships, romance and sex, enemies, etc.) And what really surprised me is the amount of detail and time dedicated to the religion and spiritual beliefs of this world. I don't even want to begin to analyze it all. You've got stuff that could be references to Christianity along with more a more pagan belief system...some characters believe in many gods, others in one God. There are prophecies. One character in particular keeps going on and on about how everything is part of God's unique plan. And when you take into account the type of characters that are talking about this stuff....it gets really interesting. You'll have to see it to know what I'm talking about.
So yeah, that's that. Go watch BSG if you can.
Podcast-wise, Erik and I re-did the news show, along with another new type of segment. Both should be online shortly. There's tons of new stuff going on with the podcast. Major expansion in terms of content and presentation. Hopefully there will be a recording out this week explaining all the new stuff that's going on.
Wall Street is a pretty good movie. Kinda slow at times, though. It made me glad I'm not a stock broker. Too many numbers.
I'm going to collapse now. Good night.
I'm up late tonight because I spent the last few hours catching up on some Sociology reading. I'd have done it earlier, except I went to Mitch's Tavern on Hillsborough to meet with a group from Vintage21 to "discuss God, life and culture over a pint." Yes, Mitch's Tavern is a bar. Yes, a lot of people were consuming alcohol (but drunkenness is not allowed). No, I was not one of them. It was just an informal gathering where we sat around chit-chatted about everything from life experiences to religion and theology. Good stuff. I'll probably go back next time they have it.
I am convinced this semester is going to be a busy one, academically. All of my classes require tons of reading, and I still haven't gotten all of my books yet. Wonderful. Plus, I have to write weekly summaries of my Sociology readings. That's going to be tons of fun (note the sarcasm).
Let's not forget I also have a job that requires me to squeeze in half a dozen hours of work every week as well.
And that's just the academic stuff. That's not including The Technician, podcast, church, Intervarsity small group, and Intervarsity large group. Oh yeah, and I have to find time to eat. Can you say the word "packed"? That's gonna be my life, and I'm not looking forward to it.
One of the reasons I'm not looking forward to it is that I want some spare time to watch movies and Battlestar Galactica. Mason and I finished the first season - the finale was spectacular. I believe I yelled "HOLY CRAP!" very loudly at one point. We're now two episodes into Season 2 (he downloaded it)...and I'm loving it. I can see why lots of people consider this the best sci-fi show of all time; it just might be. It feels more like a drama in space than most science fiction. It's not episodic, like CSI or Everybody Loves Raymond, where every episode you've got the same characters in a completely different situation from the last episode. It's entirely progressive, more like The West Wing as opposed ER or Star Trek. It feels more like a really long movie than a television show.
The plot/character development is insane. And one thing I'm really digging is the attention to details of all aspects of this fictional universe. It's not all about blowing stuff up. Politics plays a heavy role, as does social relationships between characters (friendships, romance and sex, enemies, etc.) And what really surprised me is the amount of detail and time dedicated to the religion and spiritual beliefs of this world. I don't even want to begin to analyze it all. You've got stuff that could be references to Christianity along with more a more pagan belief system...some characters believe in many gods, others in one God. There are prophecies. One character in particular keeps going on and on about how everything is part of God's unique plan. And when you take into account the type of characters that are talking about this stuff....it gets really interesting. You'll have to see it to know what I'm talking about.
So yeah, that's that. Go watch BSG if you can.
Podcast-wise, Erik and I re-did the news show, along with another new type of segment. Both should be online shortly. There's tons of new stuff going on with the podcast. Major expansion in terms of content and presentation. Hopefully there will be a recording out this week explaining all the new stuff that's going on.
Wall Street is a pretty good movie. Kinda slow at times, though. It made me glad I'm not a stock broker. Too many numbers.
I'm going to collapse now. Good night.
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 1/18/2006 02:22:00 AM
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Non-Free Laundry is the Devil
I hate laundry.
At around 9:30 last night, I went downstairs to do some laundry.
4 hours and almost seven bucks later, I was done.
Firstly, laundry isn't free anymore. Fine, I can handle that. They'd been saying we wouldn't have it free forever, so I was expecting that. But it costs $1 to do a load of laundry. Usually, I have to do three loads. Then, it's a dollar for a dryer. That's $4.00 total. No big deal, right?
Well, that's assuming things work right. Which they don't. I had a machine steal 75 cents from me. And then I spent around $1.25 on a dryer. Why spend so much on a dryer? Because my clothes were still wet, so I kept putting in more money. Then I realized that the dryer was probably broken, and switched to a new one, which was of course another dollar.
I hate this. If you're gonna make me pay to wash my clothes, then you might as well make sure that the machines work! Four hours doing laundry is unacceptable. I'm not paying to go to school and have to put up with that. Uuugghhh.
Anyways, that was the annoying part of my evening. Everything else has been going fine. I finished my Caldwell essays, except for corrections. Today, Mason and I watched four episodes of Battlestar Galactica. We've got two to go in the series, and Mason has already downloaded Season 2. I don't normally like to watch pirated stuff, but since all of Season 2 isn't out on DVD yet, and I'm going to buy it anyway once it comes out (yes, it's that good), I don't see the problem.
Last night I saw this movie called Saving Face. It was interesting, and I kinda liked it. It's basically about this 48-year-old Asian-American woman who gets pregnant and disowned by her parents, so she moves in with her daughter, who is a closet lesbian. It's like a romantic comedy...about homosexuals. And yet, somehow, I found myself enjoying it. It was kinda sweet, in that chick-flicky way. Perhaps it's because I seem to be becoming more liberal when it comes to homosexuality on a daily basis, the more I learn about it. Or maybe it's because that didn't seem like the movie's major focus. It's not just about homosexuality, it's about relationships that violate social and cultural norms in general. And, to some extent, I felt I could relate to a lot of the themes going on. I struggle with social pressure all the time with Souwa. It's hard, you know? At what point do I say, "I'm sorry if you people don't agree, but this is my life and we'll handle our relationship the way we think is best?" On the other hand, when should I go, "I really want to do it this way, but it might be better if we take other people into account and do it like this?" Finding a balance is tough.
Tonight I saw City of God, which I finally decided to buy yesterday just because no one has it to rent, and the places that do don't have copies with English subtitles. I liked it. It's very good. It's a fascinating look at the slum culture of Rio de Janeiro. Good stuff.
I'm gonna go to church tomorrow. I'm also going to record a couple of podcast reviews. And I'm also either going to finish up the first season of BSG or watch Wall Street. Maybe both.
At around 9:30 last night, I went downstairs to do some laundry.
4 hours and almost seven bucks later, I was done.
Firstly, laundry isn't free anymore. Fine, I can handle that. They'd been saying we wouldn't have it free forever, so I was expecting that. But it costs $1 to do a load of laundry. Usually, I have to do three loads. Then, it's a dollar for a dryer. That's $4.00 total. No big deal, right?
Well, that's assuming things work right. Which they don't. I had a machine steal 75 cents from me. And then I spent around $1.25 on a dryer. Why spend so much on a dryer? Because my clothes were still wet, so I kept putting in more money. Then I realized that the dryer was probably broken, and switched to a new one, which was of course another dollar.
I hate this. If you're gonna make me pay to wash my clothes, then you might as well make sure that the machines work! Four hours doing laundry is unacceptable. I'm not paying to go to school and have to put up with that. Uuugghhh.
Anyways, that was the annoying part of my evening. Everything else has been going fine. I finished my Caldwell essays, except for corrections. Today, Mason and I watched four episodes of Battlestar Galactica. We've got two to go in the series, and Mason has already downloaded Season 2. I don't normally like to watch pirated stuff, but since all of Season 2 isn't out on DVD yet, and I'm going to buy it anyway once it comes out (yes, it's that good), I don't see the problem.
Last night I saw this movie called Saving Face. It was interesting, and I kinda liked it. It's basically about this 48-year-old Asian-American woman who gets pregnant and disowned by her parents, so she moves in with her daughter, who is a closet lesbian. It's like a romantic comedy...about homosexuals. And yet, somehow, I found myself enjoying it. It was kinda sweet, in that chick-flicky way. Perhaps it's because I seem to be becoming more liberal when it comes to homosexuality on a daily basis, the more I learn about it. Or maybe it's because that didn't seem like the movie's major focus. It's not just about homosexuality, it's about relationships that violate social and cultural norms in general. And, to some extent, I felt I could relate to a lot of the themes going on. I struggle with social pressure all the time with Souwa. It's hard, you know? At what point do I say, "I'm sorry if you people don't agree, but this is my life and we'll handle our relationship the way we think is best?" On the other hand, when should I go, "I really want to do it this way, but it might be better if we take other people into account and do it like this?" Finding a balance is tough.
Tonight I saw City of God, which I finally decided to buy yesterday just because no one has it to rent, and the places that do don't have copies with English subtitles. I liked it. It's very good. It's a fascinating look at the slum culture of Rio de Janeiro. Good stuff.
I'm gonna go to church tomorrow. I'm also going to record a couple of podcast reviews. And I'm also either going to finish up the first season of BSG or watch Wall Street. Maybe both.
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 1/14/2006 10:56:00 PM
Friday, January 13, 2006
Thank You, Martin Luther King
Today's Friday, which means I only have one class. Woohoo!
School is out on Monday, since it's Martin Luther King's birthday. I could say something semi-racist, like, "It's about time that guy benefitted white people," but I won't.
Oh wait. I think I just offended myself.
Anyways...the plan for the weekend is basically just to sleep, finish up my last essay, work on podcast stuff (we're going to re-record the news and begin making that a regular segment next week), watch movies, work on a script outline or two, and of course, watch a lot of Battlestar Galactica. And speaking of movies, Me And You And Everyone We Know is bizarre. The style reminded me a lot of Ghost World, even though I can't remember much about that movie at all. Overall, a good movie if you're into artsy stuff. If you do see it, expect some weird and crazy sex stuff involving kids/teens. That little boy is insane.
Hmmm. Oh yeah. I'm in print again. I'm gonna go by today and see if I've got a weekend assignment.
Oh, and I should probably clarify something regarding Daniel's comment yesterday. No, I don't intend to be updating my reviews site much anymore. Then again, it was only updated every few months anyway. I've got my hands full regarding movies - I've got the podcast, movies I watch/analyze for film class, movies I watch on my own, movies I watch for the Technician. If I see a movie that's just begging for some hard-core analysis, it's possible I'll post something about it on my old Angelfire site. On the other hand, it might be easier just to record it for the podcast. So who knows. The bottom line is that I won't be updating that site much, at least not until I can find a more professional-looking place to post reviews. Angelfire is too plain-looking. If anyone out there would like to design a better looking web page, then I might consider updating it more (such as with my Technician reviews or something).
Quote of Da Moment:
"I don't want to have to do this living. I just walk around. I want to be swept off my feet, you know? I want my children to have magical powers. I am prepared for amazing things to happen. I can handle it."
--Me And You And Everyone We Know
School is out on Monday, since it's Martin Luther King's birthday. I could say something semi-racist, like, "It's about time that guy benefitted white people," but I won't.
Oh wait. I think I just offended myself.
Anyways...the plan for the weekend is basically just to sleep, finish up my last essay, work on podcast stuff (we're going to re-record the news and begin making that a regular segment next week), watch movies, work on a script outline or two, and of course, watch a lot of Battlestar Galactica. And speaking of movies, Me And You And Everyone We Know is bizarre. The style reminded me a lot of Ghost World, even though I can't remember much about that movie at all. Overall, a good movie if you're into artsy stuff. If you do see it, expect some weird and crazy sex stuff involving kids/teens. That little boy is insane.
Hmmm. Oh yeah. I'm in print again. I'm gonna go by today and see if I've got a weekend assignment.
Oh, and I should probably clarify something regarding Daniel's comment yesterday. No, I don't intend to be updating my reviews site much anymore. Then again, it was only updated every few months anyway. I've got my hands full regarding movies - I've got the podcast, movies I watch/analyze for film class, movies I watch on my own, movies I watch for the Technician. If I see a movie that's just begging for some hard-core analysis, it's possible I'll post something about it on my old Angelfire site. On the other hand, it might be easier just to record it for the podcast. So who knows. The bottom line is that I won't be updating that site much, at least not until I can find a more professional-looking place to post reviews. Angelfire is too plain-looking. If anyone out there would like to design a better looking web page, then I might consider updating it more (such as with my Technician reviews or something).
Quote of Da Moment:
"I don't want to have to do this living. I just walk around. I want to be swept off my feet, you know? I want my children to have magical powers. I am prepared for amazing things to happen. I can handle it."
--Me And You And Everyone We Know
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 1/13/2006 08:28:00 AM
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
So This Is What My Classes Are Like
Genetics 301 - Genetics in Human Affairs - My first class every week. It's a big class, but it should at least be interesting, even if it's more like a lecture than a discussion. Right now we're mainly talking about stuff I already learned in the IB, but I'm guessing that will change.
Psychology 200 - Intro to Psychology - This class is so huge they have to hold it in an auditorium. That's gonna suck. The teacher seems cool, though. At least assignments shouldn't take too long...lots of people means lots of grading.
Sociology 304 - Men and Women in Society - This class looks like it'll be just as interesting as my last Sociology class, if not more so. This is a class about gender identity, sexuality and gender roles. So far all we've done is read some stuff about intersexuality, but it's fascinating. This is also my only class that's taught by a woman.
English 282 - Intro to Film - Yay! I finally managed to make it into this one, which meant I got to drop my 3-hour political science night class. Basically, this class is going to revolve around the viewing and analysis of movies. It's something I already do, but hey, I love it. Yesterday, we started watching Thelma and Louise. This one review I read a while ago was right - in a way, it is kinda like Fight Club for women. It's all about girl power.
Religion 300 - Religions of the World - This is probably going to wind up being my favorite class. The teacher looks like a nerdy 15-year-old, but I'm pretty sure he's a Christian (he talked about studying Christian theology in college and going to church every week). Basically, we're going to study Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism and Taoism (Eastern); Judaism, Christianity and Islam (Western). Every two weeks were are going to read about a new religion, possibly hear a lecture from a guest speaker who practices that religion, and watch a movie somehow related to that religion. In other words, movies are going to play a major part of the course - naturally, I'm excited. He's already told us about the final exam, and I am now convinced that it is going to be the Best. Final. Exam. I. Ever. Take. Period. Basically, the exam will consist of writing two essays somehow related to the religious aspects in the first and third Matrix films. I think I've probably already got the main aspects of Western religions (or at least Christianity) down. I just have to watch them again and look for Buddhist and Eastern elements. No doubt there's plenty of those, too, since the Wachowski Brothers are Buddhists.
I haven't started my one-hour-credit-that-lasts-two-hours-a-week Engineering/Computing class yet. I'm going to try and study the material online and take the place-out exam. Mason told me that I probably won't be able to, since the class is really hard, but a guy in Sociology told me that he studied the text online and placed out without a problem. So I guess it's always possible.
Yesterday I finished another essay. Only one more to go. Yay!
Last night I recorded the first ever news segment for the podcast. That, along with the 2005 Recap, should be posted today.
I finished the second disk of Battlestar Galactica today. Three to go. I need to find out when Season 2 is being released on DVD, so I can get it. Mason is in the process of downloading it, but the show is good enough that it's worth owning.
Tonight I'm going to a press screening of Glory Road, provided Michael and I can find the theater. I then have to have a review written by tomorrow evening. I also need to go finish buying my books before then, so I can read some stuff for tomorrow. Oh well, at least I'm staying busy.
Also: last night on the "Colbert Report" (the show that comes on after the Daily Show and is usually just as good), Stephen Colbert mentioned NC State and put a professor on his list of people that are "on notice." And it all revolves around a word (Colbert always has a word of the day) that Colbert claims to have made up, but that in reality might be a real word. Check out the story here.
Quote of Da Moment:
"Can you send poop in the mail? What about a fetus?"
--Mason
Psychology 200 - Intro to Psychology - This class is so huge they have to hold it in an auditorium. That's gonna suck. The teacher seems cool, though. At least assignments shouldn't take too long...lots of people means lots of grading.
Sociology 304 - Men and Women in Society - This class looks like it'll be just as interesting as my last Sociology class, if not more so. This is a class about gender identity, sexuality and gender roles. So far all we've done is read some stuff about intersexuality, but it's fascinating. This is also my only class that's taught by a woman.
English 282 - Intro to Film - Yay! I finally managed to make it into this one, which meant I got to drop my 3-hour political science night class. Basically, this class is going to revolve around the viewing and analysis of movies. It's something I already do, but hey, I love it. Yesterday, we started watching Thelma and Louise. This one review I read a while ago was right - in a way, it is kinda like Fight Club for women. It's all about girl power.
Religion 300 - Religions of the World - This is probably going to wind up being my favorite class. The teacher looks like a nerdy 15-year-old, but I'm pretty sure he's a Christian (he talked about studying Christian theology in college and going to church every week). Basically, we're going to study Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism and Taoism (Eastern); Judaism, Christianity and Islam (Western). Every two weeks were are going to read about a new religion, possibly hear a lecture from a guest speaker who practices that religion, and watch a movie somehow related to that religion. In other words, movies are going to play a major part of the course - naturally, I'm excited. He's already told us about the final exam, and I am now convinced that it is going to be the Best. Final. Exam. I. Ever. Take. Period. Basically, the exam will consist of writing two essays somehow related to the religious aspects in the first and third Matrix films. I think I've probably already got the main aspects of Western religions (or at least Christianity) down. I just have to watch them again and look for Buddhist and Eastern elements. No doubt there's plenty of those, too, since the Wachowski Brothers are Buddhists.
I haven't started my one-hour-credit-that-lasts-two-hours-a-week Engineering/Computing class yet. I'm going to try and study the material online and take the place-out exam. Mason told me that I probably won't be able to, since the class is really hard, but a guy in Sociology told me that he studied the text online and placed out without a problem. So I guess it's always possible.
Yesterday I finished another essay. Only one more to go. Yay!
Last night I recorded the first ever news segment for the podcast. That, along with the 2005 Recap, should be posted today.
I finished the second disk of Battlestar Galactica today. Three to go. I need to find out when Season 2 is being released on DVD, so I can get it. Mason is in the process of downloading it, but the show is good enough that it's worth owning.
Tonight I'm going to a press screening of Glory Road, provided Michael and I can find the theater. I then have to have a review written by tomorrow evening. I also need to go finish buying my books before then, so I can read some stuff for tomorrow. Oh well, at least I'm staying busy.
Also: last night on the "Colbert Report" (the show that comes on after the Daily Show and is usually just as good), Stephen Colbert mentioned NC State and put a professor on his list of people that are "on notice." And it all revolves around a word (Colbert always has a word of the day) that Colbert claims to have made up, but that in reality might be a real word. Check out the story here.
Quote of Da Moment:
"Can you send poop in the mail? What about a fetus?"
--Mason
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 1/11/2006 12:29:00 PM
Monday, January 09, 2006
What I Did Today
Woke up.
Went to church, which was great. I've made up my mind I'm going to try and go every week. "I'm too tired" isn't a good enough excuse.
Went over to Mason's, asked what he wanted to do, and was informed that we were watching Battlestar Galactica. It's kinda funny. He says I'm addicted, but he's the one who always brings it up. Eg. "We're gonna watch Battlestar Galactica....*pause*....since Andrew wants to." Yeah. Sure.
Saw two episodes. The first one was awesome, the second one was low on action and high on character development. Mason keeps trying to pretend he's not into it. We both talk to the screen. "You idiot! That person's a Cylon!" "You're all gonna die!" "I hope you die!" "Boom boom!" Then again, Mason talks to the screen all the time. I guess it's just rubbing off on me.
Went to the bookstore in order to get books. They had a grand total of....one. Yay. Guess I'll have to just go to class and just make a list of what books I need.
Worked a little on an essay.
Went to dinner.
Watched High Tension, which was pure bloody fun. I saw it with Cherry, Michael, Mason, Aaron and Jim. During more than one point we were all just shrieking, "No! Agh! Don't! No!" Mason cackled gleefully through it all, of course. The makeup artist for that movie is a genius.
Finished the first drafts of two essays. I'm half way there, so I'm proud of myself.
Plan for tomorrow:
Start class. Blegh. Luckily, I don't start E 115 for another two weeks, but once that starts up I'll have 6 hours of class straight on Mondays.
Go by Technician office. Hopefully get assignment.
Hopefully go meet with Dr. Wallis in order to find out if there's room for me in his film class. My goal is to find out by 6:00, so I'll know for sure whether or not I can drop my 3-hour political science course. Man, that was a retarded course decision.
Work on some more essays.
Probably watch some more Battlestar Galactica. Or a movie.
Record the first news podcast with Erik. This should be interesting.
Random idea: I should just take my camcorder or a tape recorder whenever I'm around with Mason, and make some sort of documentary about him. You wouldn't believe that kind of crazy stuff that comes out of his mouth. It's the kind of stuff that you're not sure if you should laugh or be offended. Sometimes I get the feeling he doesn't even know what's about to come out of his mouth. It's crazy.
Went to church, which was great. I've made up my mind I'm going to try and go every week. "I'm too tired" isn't a good enough excuse.
Went over to Mason's, asked what he wanted to do, and was informed that we were watching Battlestar Galactica. It's kinda funny. He says I'm addicted, but he's the one who always brings it up. Eg. "We're gonna watch Battlestar Galactica....*pause*....since Andrew wants to." Yeah. Sure.
Saw two episodes. The first one was awesome, the second one was low on action and high on character development. Mason keeps trying to pretend he's not into it. We both talk to the screen. "You idiot! That person's a Cylon!" "You're all gonna die!" "I hope you die!" "Boom boom!" Then again, Mason talks to the screen all the time. I guess it's just rubbing off on me.
Went to the bookstore in order to get books. They had a grand total of....one. Yay. Guess I'll have to just go to class and just make a list of what books I need.
Worked a little on an essay.
Went to dinner.
Watched High Tension, which was pure bloody fun. I saw it with Cherry, Michael, Mason, Aaron and Jim. During more than one point we were all just shrieking, "No! Agh! Don't! No!" Mason cackled gleefully through it all, of course. The makeup artist for that movie is a genius.
Finished the first drafts of two essays. I'm half way there, so I'm proud of myself.
Plan for tomorrow:
Start class. Blegh. Luckily, I don't start E 115 for another two weeks, but once that starts up I'll have 6 hours of class straight on Mondays.
Go by Technician office. Hopefully get assignment.
Hopefully go meet with Dr. Wallis in order to find out if there's room for me in his film class. My goal is to find out by 6:00, so I'll know for sure whether or not I can drop my 3-hour political science course. Man, that was a retarded course decision.
Work on some more essays.
Probably watch some more Battlestar Galactica. Or a movie.
Record the first news podcast with Erik. This should be interesting.
Random idea: I should just take my camcorder or a tape recorder whenever I'm around with Mason, and make some sort of documentary about him. You wouldn't believe that kind of crazy stuff that comes out of his mouth. It's the kind of stuff that you're not sure if you should laugh or be offended. Sometimes I get the feeling he doesn't even know what's about to come out of his mouth. It's crazy.
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 1/09/2006 12:22:00 AM
Saturday, January 07, 2006
New Start, New Addiction?
Moved back into my dorm today. I'm feeling good. Everything is nice and tidy. Cherry is hanging out with friends, so I have the room to myself. I've got my new DVD stand set up with all my DVDs properly alphabetized. My books are all in order. All essential electronic gadgets are hooked up and working properly. The refrigerator is stocked with drinks, and I have more snacks than I know what to do with.
I only wish I had time to enjoy it more. I spent a few minutes today outlining what I'm gonna write for my various essays. I want to put them off until the last minute, but I know that won't solve anything, so I'm gonna try and crank out at least one or two of them tomorrow after church. Then on Monday, school starts and I record my first news podcast. With any luck, I'll be able to finish all my essays within the next few days, I won't have much homework, and I'll be able to sit back, relax and concentrate on watching movies, doing podcast stuff, and...
...satisfying what might become an addiction: Battlestar Galactica.
I saw the pilot episode today - in other words, the first disc. The three hour miniseries.
The first 45 minutes was...slow. Not much happened. It was mainly just character introductions and development, along with the basic plot setup. It was interesting, but didn't exactly put me on the edge of my seat. I convinced Mason to watch it with me, and he was complaining throughout all of this section.
Then the second part kicked in, and things went from when-is-something-going-to-happen mode into hey-this-is-pretty-cool mode. And then it just didn't stop.
Overall...it's a really good miniseries. Best I've ever seen? I don't know. The action scenes are good, considering it's a tv show. And for a show, the production values are really good. The acting is solid. The CG ranges from mediocre to pretty awesome.
What really makes things interesting are the plot and character development. Other than the first 45 minutes, I was never bored. I wanted to see what happened next. So Mason and I ended up watching all three hours of it. The miniseries as a whole was what I'd call "pretty good", but it ended with a surprise that I wasn't expecting at all, and that was great. As a result...I'm sitting here fighting the temptation to watch the first episode of the series. Mason went from not liking it to getting into it enough that he wants to watch it with me, and he hates me for it. So I won't get to see what happens until tomorrow. Must. Fight. Temptation.
I once heard a guy talk about how he stayed up until 7 in the morning watching this show, just because after every episode he'd think, "I have to see what happens! Just one more." All I know is that that better not happen to me. I can't afford it while I'm in college. I have made up my mind to set my expectations for this series low. I keep telling myself, "It's overhyped. It's not the best show on television. People are wrong." That way I won't be disappointed. But what I'm worried about even more than being disappointed is that people are right, and I'm going to get so sucked into this show that I forget to eat and bathe. That wouldn't be good. Especially since once I finish Season 1 I'll have to wait until Season 2 comes out on DVD. Ugh. This show better not make me spend more money.
I must not get addicted to this show. I must not. Addiction is bad, and if I get addicted to Battlestar Galactica, then Battlestar Galactica is bad. And I don't want that.
I only wish I had time to enjoy it more. I spent a few minutes today outlining what I'm gonna write for my various essays. I want to put them off until the last minute, but I know that won't solve anything, so I'm gonna try and crank out at least one or two of them tomorrow after church. Then on Monday, school starts and I record my first news podcast. With any luck, I'll be able to finish all my essays within the next few days, I won't have much homework, and I'll be able to sit back, relax and concentrate on watching movies, doing podcast stuff, and...
...satisfying what might become an addiction: Battlestar Galactica.
I saw the pilot episode today - in other words, the first disc. The three hour miniseries.
The first 45 minutes was...slow. Not much happened. It was mainly just character introductions and development, along with the basic plot setup. It was interesting, but didn't exactly put me on the edge of my seat. I convinced Mason to watch it with me, and he was complaining throughout all of this section.
Then the second part kicked in, and things went from when-is-something-going-to-happen mode into hey-this-is-pretty-cool mode. And then it just didn't stop.
Overall...it's a really good miniseries. Best I've ever seen? I don't know. The action scenes are good, considering it's a tv show. And for a show, the production values are really good. The acting is solid. The CG ranges from mediocre to pretty awesome.
What really makes things interesting are the plot and character development. Other than the first 45 minutes, I was never bored. I wanted to see what happened next. So Mason and I ended up watching all three hours of it. The miniseries as a whole was what I'd call "pretty good", but it ended with a surprise that I wasn't expecting at all, and that was great. As a result...I'm sitting here fighting the temptation to watch the first episode of the series. Mason went from not liking it to getting into it enough that he wants to watch it with me, and he hates me for it. So I won't get to see what happens until tomorrow. Must. Fight. Temptation.
I once heard a guy talk about how he stayed up until 7 in the morning watching this show, just because after every episode he'd think, "I have to see what happens! Just one more." All I know is that that better not happen to me. I can't afford it while I'm in college. I have made up my mind to set my expectations for this series low. I keep telling myself, "It's overhyped. It's not the best show on television. People are wrong." That way I won't be disappointed. But what I'm worried about even more than being disappointed is that people are right, and I'm going to get so sucked into this show that I forget to eat and bathe. That wouldn't be good. Especially since once I finish Season 1 I'll have to wait until Season 2 comes out on DVD. Ugh. This show better not make me spend more money.
I must not get addicted to this show. I must not. Addiction is bad, and if I get addicted to Battlestar Galactica, then Battlestar Galactica is bad. And I don't want that.
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 1/07/2006 11:12:00 PM
Friday, January 06, 2006
Goodbye Space, Hello Dormroom
So tomorrow morning I go back to campus. Blegh. Oh well, I guess it could be worse. I could start class tomorrow. Luckily, I have a few days left to relax a bit.
Though I can't completely relax, of course. I'm in the process of filling out applications for both a scholarship and for the Honors program. I've still got to write all my essays. Grrrr. Plus, I have to order my books and go through all that stuff. The usual.
I started working on the outlines for that series of Christian short films today. My goal is to have a fairly detailed idea of what I'm gonna do by Monday, and have it approved by Andrew C. We'll see how that goes.
As for what else I'll do this weekend...I might go see a movie. Maybe see if The Technician wants me to write a review. Oh, and on Monday I record my first news podcast with Erik, so I've gotta gather some news from the film front. Other than that...
I spent my birthday money tonight. I bought the Star Wars trilogy on DVD. Finally. I now own all of the Star Wars movies except Episode III. I also bought a new DVD case to hold all of my DVDs. My other one (which holds around 60) is full. Maybe I should start renting out movies at $1 a pop.
I also decided to take a chance, and buy: Battlestar Galactica: Season 1.
I have never seen this show. I never saw the old one either. However, I keep hearing over and over how great a show it is, so I decided to take a risk and see if they're right.
I'm excited. My plan is to watch the miniseries pilot this weekend. I just told Erik about it, and he informed me that not only is BSG the best sci-fi show of all time, even better than Firefly (which he loves), but that it is also the best television show of any genre on any station at this point in time.
Those are some big words. I'm trying not to get over-hyped about it. I'll let you know my thoughts within the coming weeks...
Though I can't completely relax, of course. I'm in the process of filling out applications for both a scholarship and for the Honors program. I've still got to write all my essays. Grrrr. Plus, I have to order my books and go through all that stuff. The usual.
I started working on the outlines for that series of Christian short films today. My goal is to have a fairly detailed idea of what I'm gonna do by Monday, and have it approved by Andrew C. We'll see how that goes.
As for what else I'll do this weekend...I might go see a movie. Maybe see if The Technician wants me to write a review. Oh, and on Monday I record my first news podcast with Erik, so I've gotta gather some news from the film front. Other than that...
I spent my birthday money tonight. I bought the Star Wars trilogy on DVD. Finally. I now own all of the Star Wars movies except Episode III. I also bought a new DVD case to hold all of my DVDs. My other one (which holds around 60) is full. Maybe I should start renting out movies at $1 a pop.
I also decided to take a chance, and buy: Battlestar Galactica: Season 1.
I have never seen this show. I never saw the old one either. However, I keep hearing over and over how great a show it is, so I decided to take a risk and see if they're right.
I'm excited. My plan is to watch the miniseries pilot this weekend. I just told Erik about it, and he informed me that not only is BSG the best sci-fi show of all time, even better than Firefly (which he loves), but that it is also the best television show of any genre on any station at this point in time.
Those are some big words. I'm trying not to get over-hyped about it. I'll let you know my thoughts within the coming weeks...
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 1/06/2006 11:23:00 PM
Crash This
I'm a superstah.
NOTE: All characters and events portrayed are entirely fictional, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
NOTE: All characters and events portrayed are entirely fictional, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 1/06/2006 03:37:00 PM
Thursday, January 05, 2006
2005, 2006, Lots of Lists and Whatnot
Happy new year, everybody. It's now 2006, and I'm back here in North Carolina. I haven't done much except sleep, eat, and watch Wedding Crashers, which was funny.
On Monday, I start the spring semester of classes. Blegh. With any luck, I'll be able to fit myself into a film class, so things aren't too boring on the academic end of things. This semester is going to be busy. As in, holy-crap-I've-got-tons-of-stuff-to-do-and-feel-like-a-zombie busy. Let's take a look, shall we?
1) School - Obviously.
2) Newspaper - Yes, I'm gonna keep writing for the paper. Yay.
3) Podcast - These past 2 months have been sort of a test. Now that 2006 is here, we're gonna be really kicking stuff into high gear. We've got a wide variety of content planned. We're still gonna do microreviews. We're still gonna do full-length discussion-reviews. However, last year, we kinda shirked off on the mid-week shows: there weren't any. Well, that's about to change. There will be a minimum of two podcasts per week, with the weekend ones mainly focusing on movie reviews and the mid-week ones focusing on...lots of other things. For example, I recently received a promotion of sorts, and will be discussing weekly movie news with Erik. We're also going to have a brief segment about new movie trailers. And let's not forget the features. We've got tons of stuff planned. Such as interviews - for example, Erik has an interview with Orson Scott Card about what makes good science fiction and Serenity. Every once in a while we'll discuss or have commentaries on things related to the film industry and how it's changing - for example, piracy, the rise of the DVD market, the decline in box-office numbers, new technology being produced, etc. We're also planning on doing a "Top 10" of something every month, whether it be the Top 10 Reasons Going To The Cinema Sucks These Days or Top 10 Science Fiction Movies Of All Time. So yeah, it's a lot. With any luck this added effort will result in us being able to find some sponsors and actually getting paid a little.
4) Scripts and Writing Projects - Yup, this weekend I begin working on the outlines for Andrew Cranford's short film series. And let's not forget I have other scripts I'm working on.
5) Possible Directing Project - I'd still like to direct something this semester, if I have time. And that takes a lot of careful planning and work.
Let the workload begin. I'm ready. It's a new year, and that means new stuff to do. Here are my goals for this year:
- Finally get in the groove of church and Bible study.
- Finally get around to directing another short, and this time not for a festival, but simply because I want to.
- Possibly enter said short in local film festivals, if it isn't total crap.
- Finish a feature-length script.
- Write a script that someone else will want to direct.
- Keep gaining weight, but work out enough so that I don't have too much of a pot belly.
It's gonna be a hard year. It's gonna be a year of struggles, both in terms of academics and other areas. Such is life. At least a lot of it's related to movies. Can I get three cheers for the art of film?
Speaking of movies, 2005 is over, and it wasn't a bad year for movies. It had its moments of brilliance (original and intelligent films), and its moments of pure and utter crap (sequels and remakes). Last Tuesday I recorded a podcast highlighting the best and worst of 2005. It should be up soon. But since I'm lazy and don't feel like moving from this chair, I might as well recap the year here, too.
Out of the hundreds of films released this year, I saw 37, not including the three I rented yesterday and haven't yet finished. I saw:
40 Year Old Virgin
Aeon Flux
A History of Violence
Assault on Precinct 13
Batman Begins
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Chicken Little
Chronicles of Narnia
The Constant Gardener
Constantine
Crash
Downfall
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
The Family Stone
Grizzly Man
Guess Who
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Hitch
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The Interpreter
The Island
Jarhead
Kicking and Screaming
King Kong
Kung Fu Hustle
Madagascar
Man with the Screaming Brain
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Murderball
Oldboy
Saw II
Serenity
Sin City
Star Wars Episode III
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
War of the Worlds
Not a low number, not a high number. A decent number. I didn't see any 2005 films until around March, when I saw Hitch, so I got off to kind of a late start. Of those films, the following deserve mention:
Worst Film:
Chicken Little - It was terrible. I didn't expect much, seeing as how it was Disney's first outing in computer animation without Pixar, but it was even worse than I thought it would be. The character development was terrible, most of the jokes weren't funny, and it was way too short (80 minutes) to properly develop the plot. Also, some characters looked like they were stolen directly from Pixar. At least with Aeon Flux I got the impression the filmmakers were trying.
Runner up: Aeon Flux.
Top 5 Surprises:
5) Kicking and Screaming - Bad surprise. I, for one, was very disappointed. The previews didn't do much for me, but it had Will Ferrell, and he usually makes me laugh a lot, so I went in expecting it to at least be okay. It's not. It's actually just a pretty bad movie all around. A few jokes work, but most of the time the movie just feels really juvenile. Will Ferrell movies are hit-and-miss, and this was definitely a miss.
4) Mr. and Mrs. Smith - Good surprise. I actually ended up seeing this 4 times in theaters due to various circumstances, and surprisingly it never really got tired. I was expecting it to be fun, but I wasn't expecting the amount of fun it actually was. It's popcorn entertainment at its finest, with plenty of cool action scenes to keep people happy. It also manages to keep a good grasp on character development. Not only that, but I was surprised at how intelligent the film actually is both in terms of a commentary on marriage and in terms of symbolism/directing details.
3) War of the Worlds - Bad surprise. Steven Spielberg had said that this was going to be the best film of the decade. That's very far from the truth. It's not bad, but it's certainly extremely disappointing considering what we were led to believe about it. There are plot holes galore (a lot of it just doesn't make sense), and the ending is one of the worst I've seen in recent memory. Definitely not one of Spielberg's best efforts.
2) Saw II - Good surprise. I thought the first Saw was only so-so. It suffered from bad acting, bad pacing, and terrible structuring. It also seemed like a rip-off of Se7en, but the ending was awesome and made up for a lot of the faults. This sequel was completely made in just a year after the original, so I went in expecting it to be a terrible rush job. I couldn't have been more wrong. This movie fixed nearly all of the problems with the original, developed its characters more thoroughly, and had another awesome ending that makes me want to see Saw III right now. We could have another horror franchise on our hands, but this seems like it has potential to actually be a good one.
1) The 40 Year Old Virgin - Great surprise. This movie took my expectations and turned them upside down. I rented it expecting a raunchy sex comedy along the lines of American Pie and Not Another Teen Movie, one that wouldn't take sex seriously and would advocate promiscuity. I couldn't have been more wrong. Yes, this is a comedy about a sex, and yes that means a lot of the jokes are vulgar. However, vulgar or not, pretty much every joke will make you laugh out loud, and that's rare in most comedies these days. Also, although it laughs a lot at sexual situations, it also takes sex extremely more seriously than I expected it would. The movie at times ends up being extremely sweet, believe it or not, and dare I say touching. It also has what is definitely the most positive and Christian message regarding sex I've seen in a comedy in a very long time, perhaps ever. I hope this is the beginning of a trend in comedies, because this movie is great and positive to boot.
Top 5 Best Films:
5) Downfall - This is a German film about the last days of Hitler. It's also one of the best movies about the Nazis and World War 2 I have ever seen. It follows Hitler's last days as he hides out in a bunker and as his power and his country collapses above him. Quite simply put, it's fantastic. Bruno Ganz gives an amazing performance as Hitler, and for the first time in a movie I felt like I could actually relate to Hitler in some small way. I finally felt that I could understand his way of thinking and his reasons for what he did, despicable or not. The film doesn't make us sympathetic towards him (unless pity is the same as sympathy) but it does get us inside his head, and does a great job of showing how he psychologically began to fall apart. Terrific.
4) Episode III - Believe it or not, I was hesitant to include this on my top 5. It's a good movie, but one of the five best? Probably not. It's by far the best of the prequels, but it also has a whole lot of flaws both in terms of story and directing. If it was anything other than Star Wars, it wouldn't be on here. However, this is Star Wars, and flawed or not, I had an incredible time watching this. The action scenes were amazing, and I got misty-eyed in the final scenes. There was an intensity and heart to the film that, while not perfectly executed, sets it far above the previous two installments and while perhaps not as high as the original trilogy, at least close. It's on this list just for the experience.
3) Oldboy - This film was actually released in South Korea at the end of 2003, but didn't get to the USA until January of 2005. Asian cinema is gradually becoming better and better, and also getting more and more popular. This film is a perfect example why. It is unique, both in story and in style. The story follows a man who is imprisoned in a room for 15 years for no reason - one day, he is mysteriously released and he has 5 days to find out who did this to him and why. It's suspenseful, at times horrific, and takes some pretty bizarre and intriguing twists along the way. The directing is incredible and the style extremely unique when compared to Western cinema - for example, one fight scene lasts around 5 minutes and is done in a single shot. Great movie, both in terms of story and in terms of style.
2) Sin City - This is quite possibly the most perfect adaptation of a comic book/graphic novel ever made. The graphic novel frames were used as storyboards, so it's pretty much about as close to 100% accurate as you can get. This is the kind of film that will be studied in film school years from now, simply because of its incredibly unique and cool style (entirely in harsh black-and-white, with a few objects sometimes showing up in color). It's a testosterone-driven ride into a world where all the men are tough, the women are all beautiful strippers or hookers, and the violence is extreme. The characters, though at times morally flawed, have an aura of nobility around them, like post-modern knights or something of that nature. Amazing.
1) Crash - Stunning. Paul Haggis proves he can direct just as well as he writes. This is an incredible directorial debut, and follows various people in LA as their lives "crash" together due to racism in one form or another. Haggis shows that racism isn't just a majority/minority thing, but one that also exists between majorities and minorities themselves. The writing is superb. He plays off the viewer's preconceived racial stereotypes and contradicts them, as if to say, "You thought you knew everything about this character simply because of his/her race. You were wrong. You're just like all these people." The story takes twists and turns and packs an emotional punch like no other this year - during one scene, various people in the theater around me screamed and started to cry. Rent this now. If Haggis doesn't at least get an Oscar for best screenplay, I'm going to be extremely irritated.
And now, on to a few other random movie awards:
Best Documentary - Grizzly Man
Most Underrated Movie - The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Most Overrated Movie - The Constant Gardener
Strangest Movie - A History of Violence
Most Original Movie - Kung Fu Hustle
Best Adaptation (other than Sin City) - The Chronicles of Narnia
Best Comedy - The 40 Year Old Virgin
Movie I'm Most Looking Forward to in 2006: The Fountain
Yay. That's all for now. I'm gonna go watch another movie. Plan for tomorrow: sleep, start working on two school-related applications, watch other movie, and start working on short film outline.
Quote of Da Moment:
"Twenty bucks 1 Corinthians."
"Double or nothing Colossians 3:12."
--Wedding Crashers
On Monday, I start the spring semester of classes. Blegh. With any luck, I'll be able to fit myself into a film class, so things aren't too boring on the academic end of things. This semester is going to be busy. As in, holy-crap-I've-got-tons-of-stuff-to-do-and-feel-like-a-zombie busy. Let's take a look, shall we?
1) School - Obviously.
2) Newspaper - Yes, I'm gonna keep writing for the paper. Yay.
3) Podcast - These past 2 months have been sort of a test. Now that 2006 is here, we're gonna be really kicking stuff into high gear. We've got a wide variety of content planned. We're still gonna do microreviews. We're still gonna do full-length discussion-reviews. However, last year, we kinda shirked off on the mid-week shows: there weren't any. Well, that's about to change. There will be a minimum of two podcasts per week, with the weekend ones mainly focusing on movie reviews and the mid-week ones focusing on...lots of other things. For example, I recently received a promotion of sorts, and will be discussing weekly movie news with Erik. We're also going to have a brief segment about new movie trailers. And let's not forget the features. We've got tons of stuff planned. Such as interviews - for example, Erik has an interview with Orson Scott Card about what makes good science fiction and Serenity. Every once in a while we'll discuss or have commentaries on things related to the film industry and how it's changing - for example, piracy, the rise of the DVD market, the decline in box-office numbers, new technology being produced, etc. We're also planning on doing a "Top 10" of something every month, whether it be the Top 10 Reasons Going To The Cinema Sucks These Days or Top 10 Science Fiction Movies Of All Time. So yeah, it's a lot. With any luck this added effort will result in us being able to find some sponsors and actually getting paid a little.
4) Scripts and Writing Projects - Yup, this weekend I begin working on the outlines for Andrew Cranford's short film series. And let's not forget I have other scripts I'm working on.
5) Possible Directing Project - I'd still like to direct something this semester, if I have time. And that takes a lot of careful planning and work.
Let the workload begin. I'm ready. It's a new year, and that means new stuff to do. Here are my goals for this year:
- Finally get in the groove of church and Bible study.
- Finally get around to directing another short, and this time not for a festival, but simply because I want to.
- Possibly enter said short in local film festivals, if it isn't total crap.
- Finish a feature-length script.
- Write a script that someone else will want to direct.
- Keep gaining weight, but work out enough so that I don't have too much of a pot belly.
It's gonna be a hard year. It's gonna be a year of struggles, both in terms of academics and other areas. Such is life. At least a lot of it's related to movies. Can I get three cheers for the art of film?
Speaking of movies, 2005 is over, and it wasn't a bad year for movies. It had its moments of brilliance (original and intelligent films), and its moments of pure and utter crap (sequels and remakes). Last Tuesday I recorded a podcast highlighting the best and worst of 2005. It should be up soon. But since I'm lazy and don't feel like moving from this chair, I might as well recap the year here, too.
Out of the hundreds of films released this year, I saw 37, not including the three I rented yesterday and haven't yet finished. I saw:
40 Year Old Virgin
Aeon Flux
A History of Violence
Assault on Precinct 13
Batman Begins
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Chicken Little
Chronicles of Narnia
The Constant Gardener
Constantine
Crash
Downfall
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
The Family Stone
Grizzly Man
Guess Who
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Hitch
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The Interpreter
The Island
Jarhead
Kicking and Screaming
King Kong
Kung Fu Hustle
Madagascar
Man with the Screaming Brain
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Murderball
Oldboy
Saw II
Serenity
Sin City
Star Wars Episode III
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
War of the Worlds
Not a low number, not a high number. A decent number. I didn't see any 2005 films until around March, when I saw Hitch, so I got off to kind of a late start. Of those films, the following deserve mention:
Worst Film:
Chicken Little - It was terrible. I didn't expect much, seeing as how it was Disney's first outing in computer animation without Pixar, but it was even worse than I thought it would be. The character development was terrible, most of the jokes weren't funny, and it was way too short (80 minutes) to properly develop the plot. Also, some characters looked like they were stolen directly from Pixar. At least with Aeon Flux I got the impression the filmmakers were trying.
Runner up: Aeon Flux.
Top 5 Surprises:
5) Kicking and Screaming - Bad surprise. I, for one, was very disappointed. The previews didn't do much for me, but it had Will Ferrell, and he usually makes me laugh a lot, so I went in expecting it to at least be okay. It's not. It's actually just a pretty bad movie all around. A few jokes work, but most of the time the movie just feels really juvenile. Will Ferrell movies are hit-and-miss, and this was definitely a miss.
4) Mr. and Mrs. Smith - Good surprise. I actually ended up seeing this 4 times in theaters due to various circumstances, and surprisingly it never really got tired. I was expecting it to be fun, but I wasn't expecting the amount of fun it actually was. It's popcorn entertainment at its finest, with plenty of cool action scenes to keep people happy. It also manages to keep a good grasp on character development. Not only that, but I was surprised at how intelligent the film actually is both in terms of a commentary on marriage and in terms of symbolism/directing details.
3) War of the Worlds - Bad surprise. Steven Spielberg had said that this was going to be the best film of the decade. That's very far from the truth. It's not bad, but it's certainly extremely disappointing considering what we were led to believe about it. There are plot holes galore (a lot of it just doesn't make sense), and the ending is one of the worst I've seen in recent memory. Definitely not one of Spielberg's best efforts.
2) Saw II - Good surprise. I thought the first Saw was only so-so. It suffered from bad acting, bad pacing, and terrible structuring. It also seemed like a rip-off of Se7en, but the ending was awesome and made up for a lot of the faults. This sequel was completely made in just a year after the original, so I went in expecting it to be a terrible rush job. I couldn't have been more wrong. This movie fixed nearly all of the problems with the original, developed its characters more thoroughly, and had another awesome ending that makes me want to see Saw III right now. We could have another horror franchise on our hands, but this seems like it has potential to actually be a good one.
1) The 40 Year Old Virgin - Great surprise. This movie took my expectations and turned them upside down. I rented it expecting a raunchy sex comedy along the lines of American Pie and Not Another Teen Movie, one that wouldn't take sex seriously and would advocate promiscuity. I couldn't have been more wrong. Yes, this is a comedy about a sex, and yes that means a lot of the jokes are vulgar. However, vulgar or not, pretty much every joke will make you laugh out loud, and that's rare in most comedies these days. Also, although it laughs a lot at sexual situations, it also takes sex extremely more seriously than I expected it would. The movie at times ends up being extremely sweet, believe it or not, and dare I say touching. It also has what is definitely the most positive and Christian message regarding sex I've seen in a comedy in a very long time, perhaps ever. I hope this is the beginning of a trend in comedies, because this movie is great and positive to boot.
Top 5 Best Films:
5) Downfall - This is a German film about the last days of Hitler. It's also one of the best movies about the Nazis and World War 2 I have ever seen. It follows Hitler's last days as he hides out in a bunker and as his power and his country collapses above him. Quite simply put, it's fantastic. Bruno Ganz gives an amazing performance as Hitler, and for the first time in a movie I felt like I could actually relate to Hitler in some small way. I finally felt that I could understand his way of thinking and his reasons for what he did, despicable or not. The film doesn't make us sympathetic towards him (unless pity is the same as sympathy) but it does get us inside his head, and does a great job of showing how he psychologically began to fall apart. Terrific.
4) Episode III - Believe it or not, I was hesitant to include this on my top 5. It's a good movie, but one of the five best? Probably not. It's by far the best of the prequels, but it also has a whole lot of flaws both in terms of story and directing. If it was anything other than Star Wars, it wouldn't be on here. However, this is Star Wars, and flawed or not, I had an incredible time watching this. The action scenes were amazing, and I got misty-eyed in the final scenes. There was an intensity and heart to the film that, while not perfectly executed, sets it far above the previous two installments and while perhaps not as high as the original trilogy, at least close. It's on this list just for the experience.
3) Oldboy - This film was actually released in South Korea at the end of 2003, but didn't get to the USA until January of 2005. Asian cinema is gradually becoming better and better, and also getting more and more popular. This film is a perfect example why. It is unique, both in story and in style. The story follows a man who is imprisoned in a room for 15 years for no reason - one day, he is mysteriously released and he has 5 days to find out who did this to him and why. It's suspenseful, at times horrific, and takes some pretty bizarre and intriguing twists along the way. The directing is incredible and the style extremely unique when compared to Western cinema - for example, one fight scene lasts around 5 minutes and is done in a single shot. Great movie, both in terms of story and in terms of style.
2) Sin City - This is quite possibly the most perfect adaptation of a comic book/graphic novel ever made. The graphic novel frames were used as storyboards, so it's pretty much about as close to 100% accurate as you can get. This is the kind of film that will be studied in film school years from now, simply because of its incredibly unique and cool style (entirely in harsh black-and-white, with a few objects sometimes showing up in color). It's a testosterone-driven ride into a world where all the men are tough, the women are all beautiful strippers or hookers, and the violence is extreme. The characters, though at times morally flawed, have an aura of nobility around them, like post-modern knights or something of that nature. Amazing.
1) Crash - Stunning. Paul Haggis proves he can direct just as well as he writes. This is an incredible directorial debut, and follows various people in LA as their lives "crash" together due to racism in one form or another. Haggis shows that racism isn't just a majority/minority thing, but one that also exists between majorities and minorities themselves. The writing is superb. He plays off the viewer's preconceived racial stereotypes and contradicts them, as if to say, "You thought you knew everything about this character simply because of his/her race. You were wrong. You're just like all these people." The story takes twists and turns and packs an emotional punch like no other this year - during one scene, various people in the theater around me screamed and started to cry. Rent this now. If Haggis doesn't at least get an Oscar for best screenplay, I'm going to be extremely irritated.
And now, on to a few other random movie awards:
Best Documentary - Grizzly Man
Most Underrated Movie - The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Most Overrated Movie - The Constant Gardener
Strangest Movie - A History of Violence
Most Original Movie - Kung Fu Hustle
Best Adaptation (other than Sin City) - The Chronicles of Narnia
Best Comedy - The 40 Year Old Virgin
Movie I'm Most Looking Forward to in 2006: The Fountain
Yay. That's all for now. I'm gonna go watch another movie. Plan for tomorrow: sleep, start working on two school-related applications, watch other movie, and start working on short film outline.
Quote of Da Moment:
"Twenty bucks 1 Corinthians."
"Double or nothing Colossians 3:12."
--Wedding Crashers
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 1/05/2006 08:16:00 PM
