Black Swan

Sometimes, when I read a lot about a movie and then go see it, I feel very disappointed. Especially when there is a lot of hype around it and a lot of rave reviews. Therefore I didn't really know what to expect with Black Swan; a few friends loved it, a few were terribly disappointed, and some even hated it. I have to say, it wasn't at all what I expected, but that's a good thing, because though it was very different than I imagined it would be from previews and reviews, it was much better. From the first frame I felt jarred, uncomfortable, and a little confused, and I'm positive this was intentional. Every last shot was carefully planned, and totally amazing. I've heard the film is very violent, but I didn't feel it was; I did feel that the psychological aspects of the film made the carefully chosen bits of violence much more intense. I don't really feel I can say much more about it without giving too much away. I feel like you should be surprised. So go see it. Go see it in the theater too, because it's not the kind of film that's meant for the small screen. It's much too "big" for that!

What Would Doc Brown Think?

I was watching Back to the Future tonight (ahhhh the joy of sort-of winter holidays!) and in the beginning of the movie Doc Brown wants to go 25 years into the future....


...Which would have landed him in 2010! What would Doc Brown think? In the end, he ends up going ahead 30 years instead, which places him in 2015, not too far off, and when he comes back the DeLorean can fly and it's powered by garbage fuel. While I don't know about 4 and a bit years in the future, but at the moment, while there are some cars that manage to be powered on kinds of waste (there's a car in my hometown that runs on old deep fryer grease) they're sort of still working on the flying car thing. Would Doc have been disappointed? Or would iPhones and the internet be fascinating enough?

You remind me of the babe...

...the babe with the power. The power of voodoo, who do, you do?"

The Labyrinth is just as entertaining now as it was back in the day. David Bowie in a codpiece and a killer mullet? Jim Henson puppets? What's not to like? I guess being a kid in the 80's and early 90's, those movies all hold a certain nostalgia value for me. Especially the fantasy films from the 80's that I grew up watching on VHS, like the Princess Bride, Willow, the Never Ending Story. Even SciFi and adventure movies like Star Wars, Ewoks (apparently the first movie I ever watched all the way through), and Indiana Jones. Love them.

The Big Thaw

After a freezing winter of snow and ice, it seems like it's finally all melting. It's been above 0 for a few days and there are puddles everywhere. The snowman my friend Adam and I built a month ago on my balcony lost his head. As much as it's a slushy mess outside, this couldn't be more welcome. I realized that, though I like snow for a few days, after 2 months you just want it to melt. I'm so over winter. Bring on spring!

Wayne's World dubbed in German is somehow super entertaining.