Something I should probably share about myself is that I have a pretty bad habit (notorious if you will...) of starting a movie and then turning it off in the middle and waiting to watch the rest of it. So please bear with me when I start a film and then don't finish it.
Last night I had started The Quiet American with Michael Caine and Brenden Fraser (where the heck did that guy go?) While I don't know what Saigon looks like today, I think I would have liked to see the city before the Vietnam War. From the recreation, I thought it looked like a fun and exciting city. Unfortunately, I don't think it was very safe. Off topic for a minute, have you ever stopped to think about why we, as Americans going through a "typical" American education, don't really learn about the Vietnam War in social studies class? While such topics as D-Day, Nazis and concentration camps receive so much attention. For that matter, we learn very little of the conflicts between Japan and the US leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the atom bombs. Interesting, isn't it?
So anyway, I got maybe 25 minutes into the film before I got picked up from work. At which point, Fraser's character, Pyle, had bought a Vietnamese boat and followed Caine's character, Fowler, into Northern Vietnam where there were guerrilla flare ups and the place where the American's (notice the psychological identity formation right there :p) were planning to land.
Then today I had forgotten that I recorded How To Train Your Dragon while we still receive our free 3 month trial for installing Direct TV... I'm trying to convince Treasure that we should just get the extended package because he watched True Blood (not my cup of tea), and I like to record movies.
So, I'm pretty much in love with whatever DreamWorks Animation puts out now a days. I love Kung Fu Panda and can't wait for the second one to come out. Anyway, I didn't read much into the movie other than I enjoyed it and I'm a cry baby and cried at the end when Stoick (voiced by Gerard Butler) told Hiccup that he was proud that Hiccup was his son. :'(
Next, after cleaning up my kleenex, I was flipping through the movie channels and noticed that Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky had started 20 minutes beforehand. Was not expecting to read subtitles, but I really don't mind.
Now, something else you should know about me. The first time I went through college I received an unofficial minor in music. I could tell you what that means, but we'll skip over that. So anyway, all I'm saying is that I'm pretty well versed in the realm of classical and instrumental music. I could give you a whole spiel about Igor Stravinsky, but you can just watching FABULOUS youtube clip and get the picture. I'm sure you've seen this at least once in your childhood:
If you have since looked up the Rite of Spring on Wikipedia, you would have seen that it was a ballet... and a very controversial one. In fact, it had started a riot in Paris the night it premiered. A RIOT! From a piece of music and ballet! Although, to give it credit, it's a pretty crazy looking ballet.
So anyway, I'm watching this movie and I'm thinking "Oh, it's sort of simple like The King's Speech." Aside from softcore sex, yup, that pretty much sums it up. No, no, I liked it more than that. From my EXTENSIVE (sarcasm) training in film theory and composition, I appreciated the contrast of color and the rhythm of the movie. I especially enjoyed that all (or at least 90% as far as I could tell) non-diagetic music was music of Stravinsky. Even after his most well known and revered piece of work, he still composed beautiful "melodic and traditional" music such as Apollo and Symphony of Psalms. ... I've really put up enough youtube videos.
What I can't get over is that THIS GUY
is THIS GUY
is LE CHIFFRE!!!
AND STRAVINSKY!!!
who actually really does look like Stravinsky
Alright, I swear this is my LAST movie thing. I know this is getting kind of long.
Treasure and I started District 9 tonight. Wow is that movie freakin' depressing. This is what I got as far as commentary. I'm sure that it could be a representation for really any place in the world, but I got the idea that it was a commentary on the conditions in places such as Africa and South American... really any place you have a slum (Slumdog Millionaire if you will). I never thought I would feel so bad for aliens... and aliens that look like prawns (they really do look like prawns...) But you have the powerful insurgents within the slum that kind of run the gangs from within... you have the government or upper class trying to run things from the outside which leaves these poor aliens miserable and in poverty.
I have this thing about going to bed depressed, so I asked to turn it off when they made Wikus shoot one of the aliens. :( And that's where I am now.
The final thing you should really know about me before I end this post (finally!) is that I'm pretty notorious for starting projects and then letting them go. Yeah I can admit it. I'm one of those people. However, I'm trying to work on that. So in the spirit of that goal, I have decided to start training for a half marathon. I started this week with 1 mile runs everyday. But I'm going to start using the Hal Higdon training program. So wish me luck, and everyone be safe!!!
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