Llamas like Apples…well just the one Big Apple, really

I am living in New York City this summer.  I have an internship and a thirst for adventure.  I have been here for three full days now and I have watched a lot of Netflix!  (My job starts Monday)

Corpse Bride what a disappointment.  I have never been one to wear a Nightmare Before Christmas zip-up sweatshirt but I think is definitely an auteur of our generation.  I was really ready to like this most recent creation of his.  Plus Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter did voices, so how wrong could it go?  Well…it felt like Burton was trying to make this one a little more mainstream and made it both uncomfortable and boring.  My biggest complaint was Danny Elfman’s score.  Although he had composed the captivativing music for Nightmare this time he channeled Burton’s wayward mainstream vision.  The songs were more Disney’s Aladdin than Beetle Juice.  I finished the movie only because I wanted to keep knitting.

Then She Found Me was an unexpected film.  I still don’t know exactly how I feel about it.  I like it.  I like that Helen Hunt looks her age.  I like that her character struggles in a real and messy way.  Colin Firth is wonderful as always, even as a crazy emotional single Dad…or maybe, especially? Pretty much the movie made me realize that I would love Bette Midler to be my mom.  Or at least one of them.

For those of you who haven’t seen the movie, it is about a woman, April (Helen  Hunt) who gets married to her friend, she is also adopted, and jewish. Oh! and she is a kindergarden(?) teacher and does not have any children of her own even though she would very much like one or two.  She is trying to have kids but she is almost 40! (apparently the filmmakers haven’t heard 40 is the new 30 and anything is possible at 30) Another thing that makes having kids difficult…having a husband that doesn’t want to be married.  I swear I haven’t given anything away, this all takes place in the first 10 minutes.

This film is for women with life experience who will appriciate other women’s stories of struggle and heartache.  This is NOT a film for all females to watch and ogle Colin Firth.  He doesn’t get that much screen time and only a few peticularly sigh worthy moments.

Today I watched Cleopatra, talk about epic!  It is four hours, and I kid you not, I paused it and took a nap a the “intermission”.

Elizabeth Taylor was stunning in every shot.  I wish I had just one of those costumes, and could look as half as fabulous in it.

I know this production is a classic but I have to say that Cleopatra and Antony wasn’t nearly as entertaining as Cleopatra and Caesar.  I didn’t believe that Cleopatra would turn into a mushy pain in the ass for Antony.  He never did anything, he wasn’t that hot, and I just don’t get why she liked him better than Caesar.  Maybe I was just tired of the movie by the time their relationship starts 2 hours in.  Even though their portrayal of the famous love affair didn’t hold my attention, the sets and costumes did, so I guess I shouldn’t complain.  I’m just throwing this out there, I wouldn’t mind living in Cleopatras “tomb”.

Moral of the story is, Netflix is still awesome in NYC.

But despite my love for instant movies on my computer I will try my best to have a life outside my apartment this summer.  I will keep you posted on how that goes.

Tags: Cleopatra, Corpse Bride, Netflix, New York, Then She Found Me

Bryan Fuller is the new Joss Whedon…?

Let me go on record as saying that I LOVE Joss Whedon and I want him to be Ruler of All Things.  That being said, I didn’t realize it until recently that Bryan Fuller has given us so many wonderful things.  Bryan Fuller is the creator/producer and/or writer for Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies, and Heroes!  He also created a show, Wonderfalls, which suffered from the Firefly Effect; it was cancelled after 13 episodes despite its brilliance.

I watched Dead Like Me after I bought both seasons a few years ago.  I loved it from the very first monotone narration.  Just last night I made my roommate, MO’B, watch the first episode.  That is when I realized Bryan Fuller created everything I love that didn’t come from Joss Future-Benevolent-Dictator-of-the-Universe Whedon.

George is such a relatable character…at least for me.  She makes the show with her uncensored comments and questions, ever curious boundary pushing, and adorable jaded façade.  The absurdity of teenage stubborn behavior is brought to light in an ironic and entertaining way…of course it is only entertaining because there is a TV between her and the viewer.  I absolutely hate her mom, but I think if George was my daughter I wouldn’t be able to stand her either—although I would probably make fun of her rather than yell at her.

This past fall I stole Pushing Daisies on DVD from my Mom…and watched it in one day.  And thank God I did because I ate a lot of pie that day, and I can’t afford to do that for more than one day, frozen pie is expensive?!  And why does it take more time to cook a frozen pre-cooked pie than to bake a fresh one?  I really don’t understand that.  Anyway, I am really upset that the show got cancelled.  It is so pretty, with all those colors and pies, and plastic-wrap kisses!  I think I’m partly to blame for it being sacked; I had class when it was on, so I didn’t watch it.  I wanted to but even when I tried to watch it on the ABC website, it wouldn’t work.  I decided to wait until it was on DVD but I didn’t mean for it to be the last season!  Just because I was loving it from afar does not mean I didn’t love it.  The moment I knew it was true love was when Kristin Chenoweth was cleaning the Pie Hole after closing, and took the opportunity to burst out into “Hopelessly Devoted”.

The last of Fuller’s creative contributions I have come to know—but most definitely not the least—is Heroes.  Over this past Christmas break I watched Heroes from the beginning on Netflix.  The graphic novel style, superhero adventure, made working in retail bearable for my four weeks at home.  The beautiful cast might have something to do with it.  But I’m pretty sure that the epic attempt to repeatedly save the world with help from, and blunders with, the space-time continuum, has something to do with my attraction to it also.  When the season resumes again on February 2nd I will begin posting episode critiques.

I will also be looking forward to Joss Whedon’s new show, Dollhouse premiering Friday, February 13th.

But back to my thesis, Bryan Fuller is not Joss Whedon, Bryan Fuller created TV I love, therefore people other than Joss Whedon can and do create wonderful television.  Also, networks cancel television I love.

Heroes, Season 3: A Perponderance Of Peter Petrellis

It was a much more social weekend for us than we’re used to (excluding the holidays I guess). Still, I managed to find a few episodes of Heroes, Season 3 on my screen. I agree with MediaGad Llama, that the beginning of season 3 is a bit weird. With all this jumping around in time, I found it difficult to tell if we were in a reality that was really real, or if it was a future imperfect reality that we were hoping to change. Add to that all the Peter Petrellis, including the one put in the body of crazy, formerly imprisoned killer Jesse, and it’s easy to stop caring whether Sylar is good, bad, or just merely wonder about the likelihood of a hero with a lisp like that. It doesn’t affect his ability to be taken seriously, even by all the Llamas, and we’re glad that the world is actually becoming politically correct. Or maybe that’s in the future. I can’t tell.  One positive note,  the annoying girl whose mascara runs and people die whenever she gets angry has ceased. And I want it on the record that my annoyance with her and her brother has nothing to do with ethnicity. It had everything to do with a bad storyline, bad stereotypes, and bad mascara (waterproof anyone?).

Those who have watched before me swear that the season will improve.  All the Llamas say so. I’m keeping the faith.  In the meantime, I just wanna know, how can future Peter Petrelli have a scar if he has Clare’s ability to heal?

Put away your damned rainbows

In our house, when you’re talking about Sark, it’s not the fruity, juicy-living Sark that makes Love Sandwiches.  It’s the dark Sark, the brooding, vile, Sark that makes Hate Heroes.  I just wanted to clear that up.