Monday, February 28, 2011

Enough LaBeouf!

Alright, Oscar night was mediocre at best so I will not waste time describing what all other sites have said. Hathaway was adorable and obviously very excited to be hosting (as she should be) and Franco looked bored to be there. Inception deserved more attention than that of an action flick (no award for screenplay OR score), and King's Speech received more awards than was deserved. Sidenote: How the hell did Trent Reznor win for score in The Social Network?!? All he did was play three ominous piano keys through the entire film and we give him an Oscar for that? I could have written the score for that! Hans Zimmer fit a song INSIDE of a song! He 100% deserved praise over his fellow nominees. If you don't believe me, watch this:



Completely ridiculous that a score with that much thought put into it could lose. All in all, this was an average awards show but still kept me entertained until the end. Also, I lost in my own ballot competition, which could account for most of my bitterness. Hopefully, next year will turn out better.

Oh dear, I had only planned on ranting for a sentence or two. Anywho, the reason I decided to do a post in the first place was a completely different topic. Y: The Last Man, my favorite graphic novel series, would make an awesome movie. D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye, Disturbia) was attached to the production up until this year. Scripts were made, names were attached, and things seemed to be looking good. The one bad side? Mr. Caruso wanted Shia LaBeouf to play Yorick Brown, the main character/total badass. Badass is a word I would never use to describe Shia LaBeouf. Hell, even having to capitalize the 'B' in his last name is starting to irritate me.
Recently, over a dispute between Caruso and his production company over how many films should be made of the series, Caruso left the film completely to focus on his new baby, I Am Number Four. Because of this, Y: the Last Man seems to have been indefinitely shelved. At least, according to Wikipedia. Yes, it is sad to see that no progress is being made but there is also a good side: no more LaBeouf portraying the last man on earth!

Honestly, he would just spend the whole film telling people no...

Thursday, February 24, 2011

It's Oscar weekend, bitches!

This Sunday is the 83rd annual Academy Awards. In my life, this is bigger than the superbowl. Therefore, I will be spending my weekend frantically trying watch all of the main contenders before the big day. With luck, I will finish another year with the most accurate ballot and bragging rights for the 84th awards. For those unfortunate enough not to spend Oscar night at our place, I leave you this video of our two lovely hosts, and wish you an evening filled with fame, prestige and loads of champagne. Fingers crossed for Chris Nolan winning best original screenplay!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Old news, but still a cool picture

A volcano erupted last October in Iceland and this was the result. According to National Geographic,
"Such 'dirty thunderstorms' may occur when rock and ice particles loosed by exploding magma collide in the atmosphere." 
Someone was sure there at the perfect moment to snag this photo. For a much larger (and therefore better) picture, here's the link: NatGeo

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Wilfred shows potential


Frodo has a new job, and it looks to be a potential success. I won't speak too soon, but until Wilfred premieres, I insist to keep optimistic.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Lazy Sunday



So, I could be using my time today to read my next book to review, but that would require me to actually be productive. Instead, I will be devoting my time to giggling at this adorable guineapig and his little carrot fishies. Teeheehee, he's using a flower as bait. Silly guineapig...

Artist credit: Rishchantag on Deviantart

Friday, February 11, 2011


 
 
Happy Friday, folks! I'm pretty sure if Tony Stark could dance like this he totally would.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Everything is a Remix


I liked viewing this more as a video pointing to similarities in films rather than trying to denounce the originality of our favorites. It's an interesting example of how we will always point to archetypes when forming new plots in original stories. Note to self: read Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Book #1: Water for Elephants


    What can I say about this book that hasn’t already been praised by reviewers around the world? Sara Gruen has created an incredibly imaginative world filled with vivid characters and gripping chapters that truly makes the reader feel as though they are actually part of the Benzini circus.
    Story: Jacob Jankowski is suddenly orphaned when his parents die in a car accident and his entire future of working in his dad’s vet office goes out the window. This causes him to go into a bit of a Forrest Gump trance where he looks at some train tracks and just keeps walking. Enter, the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth! Well, the train, that is. Jacob enters the train and is whisked into the magic and wonder of the circus business. He gets a job and finds out fast that a circus is more than some animals and a tent. Here he also meets Marlena, the beautiful performer for the liberty horses act, and August, her charming but flawed husband. As Jacob begins to fall for Marlena he also sees the dark side of August and the risk of his affections. In a journey that brings him friends, danger, and love, Jacob’s life is changed by his experience in the circus.
    I don’t think I could have started the cannonball with a more fascinating book. What’s even more interesting is that many of Gruen’s anecdotes were taken from true stories. One of my favorite: the lemonade for the circus continues to be stolen but no one knows who the culprit is. We eventually learn that the new elephant, Rosie, (who everyone believes to be incompetent) is actually pulling her own stake from the ground to drink the whole stand of lemonade, then goes back to her tent to return the stake. The whole book is filled with fun stories like these paired with the actual plot with Jacob.
    One feature of her book was both a love and hate for me. Jacob himself is narrating for us and because of this the chapters shift between the actual plot and his life as a ninety year old. Or ninety three. He’s never sure of his true age yet he remembers the circus as if it was yesterday. I can’t imagine how Gruen was able to get into the shoes of an old man trapped away in a retirement home but she is flawless. The reason this is also a hate for me is purely for selfish reader reasons. I would be on the edge of my seat to find out what will possibly happen next only to turn the page and have the age be shifted to present day. Don’t get me wrong; each shift tells a fascinating chapter ,I just felt like the dear Gruen was toying with me by forcing the wait to see what happens next. All in all, this book is amazing. Water for Elephants has restored my faith in the power of a good book.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

JGL joins Dark Knight Rises? Well, it's about time!

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been a favorite of mine for years. I've heard rumors since Inception hit theaters but now it looks to be real. Let us hope this is a reliable confirmation.
"I'm not sure what role he'll play, but I'm told that he will be in the movie when Nolan starts production this spring," according to Deadline. 
Sounds pretty vague, but I'll take whatever I can get. Full article below:

 
  He's soooo keeping a secret...You can see it in his crazy eyes

http://movies.ign.com/articles/114/1147324p1.html

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

A Fun Way to Start the Day

Thought I would share something fun I came across on Unreality today. They both come from the YouTube channel, Pogo. He has a ton of remixes but these were some of my favorite.