Medieval binary?

Been awhile. Things have been hectic. I started up at a new job. Not much else to report. I have a massive backlog of links. Enjoy!


Movie-wise, I saw both Wall*E and Wanted, as well as the Good Shepherd. Wanted was AWESOME. Like a hot dog. I went on Monday, so I hadn't expected the crowd to be too crazy, but boy was I wrong. We didn't get that much cheering in Iron Man. So fabulous, so over-the-top and so much fun. I highly recommend it.

I also went to see Wall*E on Friday after getting turned down for two jobs (fab day, huh??) and it was very adorable and I really enjoyed it. I particularly liked the first half hour or so, which reminded me of Buster Keaton or other silent film comedies. The timing was pitch-perfect and the whole endeavor was very cute (then again, Wall*E had me at... well... "Wa-a-a-all-eeeee").

The Good Shepherd, on the other hand, was a waste of a lot of very fine talent. Angie looks lovely and dives into her role with gusto, but doesn't have much to really sink her teeth into. Likewise, there are a lot of great supporting characters, such as Lee Pace and Billy Crudup. I think the screenplay is really to blame. It should have been edited down and streamlined. It is unnecessarily plodding and convoluted. A much better bet would be to watch Cambridge Spies. Billy Crudup's character is basically Kim Philby anyways, and Cambridge Spies is not only much more taught and gripping, but sticks to the facts (at least I think it does). And while the Brit's depiction of James Angleton (the person Matt Damon's character was loosely based on) is less-than-flattering, he hold attention better and his zealotry comes through more. Matt Damon was very... quiet.


Wanted in 15 Minutes Oh so brilliant. Best bit; "This is the role Angelina Jolie was born to play. She emerged from the womb already covered in tattoos and eyeliner for the express purpose of playing this character, who immediately entered my pantheon of Chicks I Want to Be Like When I Grow Up. Fox is the reason Angelina Jolie was put on this earth. Well, this and the global philanthropy."



Hee. 10 Things I hate about you is playing in the background as I write this. I forgot how cute parts of it were. "No ritual animal slaughter of any kind!"

And all the Linkspam:

Viacom to get YouTube user data What the hell?

Speaking of Boing Boing.... what exactly is going on? And why are they being mean to Violet Blue? I like her! Also, more here, here, and here. Note: Violet Blue is totally nsfw.

All things Dark Knight (AHHH must buy tickets already!) EW's cover, the joker sans make-up, Christian Bale interview, I seriously hope whoever has been doing the Dark Knight posters gets an award, a cinematic revolution

Crazy Gary Oldman crushes Daniel Radcliffe's innocence Also, Crazy Gary Oldman playing Tiny Tim



LOST book club WHEE!

Kristen Bell is the Queen of Babble I mention this not because I care about the project (ech) but because a) she looks diseased in that photo and b) does anyone else think that the daughter on Doctor Who could be her sister?

Top 25 Action Heroines

The new commercials for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia make me laugh a lot. You can check out the whole music video here.


Did Anne Hathaway hand her ex over to the feds? Wow, that might be the first time I've felt kindly towards her.



Vanity Fair curses yet more young stars



Madden to direct Nazi-hunter thriller The Debt



Trailer for Knowing Meh. I think Nicholas Cage needs to head back to the Matchstick Men/ Adaptation genre and stay away from the National Treasure-type genre. Speaking of which, I just noticed the Wicker Man is playing today. "HOW'D IT GET BURNED?!?!" (Togdor? Is that you?)



The Day the Earth Went Whoa.



The Prisoner returning Bad idea, BAD IDEA!



Absurdly bad Fly me to the Moon trailer We didn't get that. We got the soul-crushing Beverly Hills Chihuahua instead. This looks like that animated film Jon Stewart did where he was a spring that shot icicles out of his mustache... Ah yes.



Adrien Brody in Giallo

Are stars ruining older films on blu-ray?

In Search of a Midnight Kiss Poster

Hmmm... a film I've never heard of... Sex and Death 101. Apparently now on DVD.

Quantum of Solace trailer I don't think much of the new girls.

What's the Best British Film Ever? So NOT Four Weddings.

More New World on DVD I think a lot of times director's cuts improve on theatrical releases. After all, you don't want the same studio head who approved White Chicks trying to make your movie more commercial.

Tragic demise of Hello, Dolly star awww... Wall*E dancing along was so cute

What are your top 100 films? (Hmmm.... flickchart.com? One more place to waste my time... Oh. it doesn't seem to be up yet. Odd.)

Morning Spoilers I have the hardest time not looking at the Doctor Who column!!

HP 6 photos, also here (the kids are reacting to Ron in a quidditch uniform) and notable for the DADA prof profiles.



How far is Gotham from Metropolis Doesn't the Dark Knight Returns mention both?

Strike? What Strike?

RocknRolla trailer & stills

David Fincher teams up with the Goon

Lost Metropolis Footage Found Wow.



Christian Bale apparently owns time-turner



Ryan eager to reprise Office role



From Page to Screen, or, go read Revolutionary Road already.

Where are the Oscar contenders? Hurrah for the commenter who put forth Snow Angels, although I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Choke for Sam. In Bruges is also one of my faves so far, although I can't honestly see it earning any recognition.

Courtesy of Cleolinda; "ONTD talks about the '300' sequel, blah blah blah. All I know is, the animation at the top of the entry is one of the most magnificent things I have ever seen."

Croc Dundee to tax authorities, "Come and get me" HAhahahaha

I can't stop thinking about the Wicker Man now. BEEES!

Whoops-a-daisy

Wow... I hadn't even realized I had abandoned these links in an old unpublished post. Here ya go...


Dr Horrible's sing-a-long blog trailer! Whee!!


Rapturous Rolling Stone review of the Dark Knight


Actor's strike could affect Comic Con WHAT?!? And stars choose sides as strike descends. I'm going to have to start reading Nikki Finke again daily, aren't I?


Snyder cutting Watchmen It won't be the book, but every interview I read makes me so excited for this.


The top 5 special effects in Bollywood's time travel movie Oh My God the robot dance. When was the last time you saw something that crazyamazing in an American film?

Burninator!

I am so loving Flight of the Conchords. Clips for your enjoyment here, here, and - maybe most amazingly - here. Also, I hate to say it, but without the beard, Bret kind of looks like Frodo. (I will also say that the show reminds me a bit of the Mighty Boosh. (Do they have that show in America?))

Since my last post I saw The Lookout, which was pretty good, the Notorious Bettie Page, which I enjoyed, although I felt the ending was a bit abrupt, and Enchanted, which I found amusing, particularly James Marsden's clueless prince.

I'd also like to point out that In Bruges is now out on DVD. It is most likely going to end up in my top 10 films of the year. I really, really highly recommend it. It is very dark and very funny.

7 moments of George Carlin greatness My brother and I were lucky enough to see him at Davies Symphony Hall a few years back. The stage at Davies had never seen that kind of language. Probably never will again...

The Saturn Awards SUCKED Seriously. Enchanted over STARDUST?!? Cloverfied over SUNSHINE?!? Although I'm okay with 300 for action and Sweeney Todd for Horror. No, it isn't a straight-up horror flick and I'm sure it won for being mainstream and critically adored. However, Tim Burton certainly made the scariest version of the story possible; the way he filmed the bodies being turned into meat was pretty horrific. And fairly brilliant.

Rip Roarin' ammo fest 'Wanted' is a Can't Miss


Wall*E downplays message


I saw this ad in EW. It made me laugh.

7 Chick flicks for guys Or for those of us who won't touch chick flicks with a ten foot pole. That was one thing I noticed about Definitely, Maybe. I usually cannot stand romantic comedies as a genre, but this stood out as something I'd like to see at some point. The list is fairly standard, Jerry Maguire aside (ugh.).

Is the sky falling on indies? Well, I was disappointed by the returns for Snow Angels and Joshua the year before. (Joshua may have been the most under appreciated film of the year.) Certainly the angle on Sundance coverage this year was the slow buyers market. I think once this year's crop of films gets released, there'll be a better idea of how things stand.

Arrested Development movie Maybe. I don't actually see anything in that quote that confirms a film.

Revisiting Brideshead

The Geek Beat: Super Careers

Youth in Revolt has a great cast

19 one scene wonders I'd add Sam Rockwell in Jarhead, but his scene only made it on the DVD, unfortunately.

Defiance screens Includes a comparison to the Wind that Shakes the Barley, which instantly makes me much more interested.

Is Wall*E the most expensive silent film ever? Umm.. first off, awesome. I love silent films. But doesn't Eve talk?

Hancock billboard amuses passing Londoners, film bloggers across pond I don't find the billboard as amusing as the fact that someone originally titled the film "Tonight, He Comes." What the???

Kate Winslet gets old for the Reader

Ann Curry prowls for James McAvoy Aah!

Could you shoot curvy bullets? This calls for... Mythbusters!

Movie posters vie for street cred

Poster premiere: Death Defying Acts

Sam Riley to play Robin Hood While I've heard great things about Control... I'm not sure he can cancel out Russell Crowe and Sienna Miller.

Watchmen trailer to go before the Dark Knight? Stuff at Comic Con? Neither of these (if true) seem particularly surprising. And it isn't as if there'd be any Watchmen fans not already seeing the Dark Knight when it opens...

Morning spoilers. Hello pretty Milo. Seriously, bless whichever costume designer picks out Peter's coats. And yes, I'm biased, but who doesn't look better with dark hair? Hayden Panettiere, Cameron Diaz, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sienna Miller, Gwenyth Paltrow. Still, I guess it's lucky for brunettes that so few Hollywood blonds choose to stay dark.

Sam news! Sam and Anna Faris to shoot Linda Lovelace biopic this summer?

And I'm reposting Cleolinda's entry about the following bit of news, because she's brilliant; "Hopkins Confirmed As Lear. Apparently Naomi Watts will also join Gwyneth Paltrow and Keira Knightley as the third daughter. Quoth the director, an "American newcomer," "It's pre-Roman, Celtic, very raw. It's a period in British history, from which Tolkien took a lot of his inspiration, where there were thatched-roof roundhouses and fortresses." AND THE TROGDOR COMES IN THE NIIIIIIIGHT!"

Listing

I live my life by lists. Truly.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a daily routine of writing out a To Do list. This list includes things that must be done today, this week, even in the next several months. It generally also has a list of things I am saving money for. Now, as pre-OCD as it may seem, I like the list. I like crossing off things that I have done. I like knowing that something that needs to be done two weeks from now will not be forgotten. It gives me a semblance of control.

Additionally, though, I tend to carry entertainment lists around with me in my purse. Lists of books to be read, movies to be rented, music to be sought out. Conversely, I keep lists at home of the things I have already consumed. My brother and I check off how many of the top 100 novels we have read, how many of AFI's top films we have seen. I fall victim to afternoons spent listing books I have read on Facebook; movies I have seen on Netflix or Flixter. My favorite blog articles are lists; I like chiming in on what should have been included in the top ten westerns (kudos on Cat Ballou, but the Assassination of Jesse James should really be on there) or the top seven movies about making movies (no Adaptation?). I keep a list of links in my browser for the blogs, comics, and news sites I browse weekly.

When my last laptop failed I spent weeks in agony, worrying that my iTunes library had been lost. Not even the songs themselves so much, which were replaceable, as the list of what I listen to. It would have taken ages for me to try to piece back together the thousands of songs I had compiled into my aural landscape. (I found it, made it into an excel sheet, and emailed it to myself).

I have a small sheet of paper buried in my belongings that lists all of the plays, musicals, and operas I've seen. I list countries and cities I've been to, list which I still want to travel to. I keep my transcripts as lists of the classes I've taken. I update my resume and CV as records of my jobs. Going through old papers today, I came across a list of ideas for blog articles I compiled back in New Zealand.

I am sure a part of my addiction to Facebook is the chance to list favorites, list friends from various schools/in various cities, list groups, list travel. And while I can rattle off my favorite movies, bands and shows at the drop of a hat, I find I have a harder time with the categories that are supposed to sum me up as a person. I was musing ways of updating that category and the first idea I thought up was a list of all the jobs I wanted to hold when I grew up. I think in lists.

Perhaps it is a minor form of OCD. Lord knows I have an obsessive/addictive personality. I hear a song I love and I immediately play it over and over and over until something new comes along. Perhaps it is a way of managing stress; feeling I have control over at least certain aspects of my life. Perhaps it comes from an overly rational brain, trained for years in the field of science where results are quantified. Perhaps it is from growing up in a culture where success is measured by a list of possessions. Success often seems to be a list of some ilk. Even backpackers, who eschew possessions, compare country lists.

Am I a summation of the things I've seen? The books I've read? The ideas I've been exposed to? The places I've worked, volunteered, visited, camped in, walked through? The people I've met or known? Why do I bother trying to quantify who I am?


[Marine Biologist, Entomologist, Ecologist, Bartender, Forensic Anthropologist, Park Ranger, Travel Writer, Farmer, Actress, Theatre Manager, Opera Singer, Casting Director, Cinematographer, Environmental Activist, Zoo Keeper, Movie Critic.]


[This post was inspired by trying to revamp aspects of my Facebook profile, organizing my old papers (in which a distressing number of lists were discovered and compiled), the Entertainment Weekly 1000 issue of listiness and a reread of parts of Affluenza (which discusses the need Americans have to quantify their success or lifestyle by what they buy).]

New Zealand - It's not part of Australia!

Oops. Sorry to have been away. Things have been a wee bit hectic around here. I'm probably missing a bunch of linkspam, but oh well. In my life, I got a massage on Friday which did wonders for my back; I'm not sure I even realized how tense I'd become. I'm volunteering at the SPCA tomorrow (kitties!). And between interviews, housework and working on the family finances, I've been plowing through a book every two days as well as watching a ton of stuff from the tivo and netflix. To wit, in addition to Flight of the Conchords (have I mentioned I passed by Brett in Wellington?) I've recently seen:

Ratatouille. Very cute. I particularly loved Will Arnett's character; "with theeese thumb."

The Fountain. I'm still so disappointed I never got to see this on the big screen. The visuals were really made to be seen on something larger than my tv. I enjoyed it. I thought Hugh Jackman does a fantastic job. Rachel Weisz doesn't get much to do as Tess; her character doesn't have a lot of progression. It makes sense, as she is close to death and the movie covers 3 stories, but she exists more as a motivator for Hugh Jackman rather than as her own person, I felt.

Fracture. Kinda fun and twisty, if a bit overblown. Ryan Gosling and Anthony Hopkins both do alright and the way the murder is committed is interesting. I felt they spent too much time on Ryan's turnabout from corporate greed to activist. Plus, it has Cliff Curtis! I love it when he shows up in films.

The Anniversary Party. The jury's still out on this one. I can't decide if it's an interesting look at L.A. culture and relationships or a totally narcissistic and self-indulgent project.

Shoot Em Up. Whee! Clive Owen can kill a man.... with a carrot. Twice!

Breakfast on Pluto. I really liked this one. It stars Ireland (no, really. Think of an Irish actor. Got it? Trust me, he's in it.) Anyways, it actually stars Cillian Murphy as Patrick Kitten Braden, a transgender Irish youth growing up int he 1970s. Patty refuses to take things seriously, despite the Troubles, and the film is likewise fanciful and endearing. I think Cillian's golden globe nod was well-deserved.

The Incredible Hulk. No, it's not Iron Man (hi, Robert Downey Jr!). But I enjoyed it, much more than I thought I would. I think the main problem was that the film was sort of schizo. There were the Hulk action sequences, which were fun (explosions! whee!) and there was Edward Norton feeling maligned and angsting. Which he does very well. But there seemed to be no continuity between the two, Liv Tyler aside. Not being familiar with the comics, why was it the hulk bore no resemblance to Bruce Banner? Even Tim Roth's monster could talk and held onto aspects of his personality. So I enjoyed Edward Norton racing around trying to find a cure and I enjoyed the hulk smashing things, but they felt like two very different films. Can we put Edward Norton in a similarly angsty role that doesn't involve CGI (but is still big budget) and leave the action films to Wolverine and the Dark Knight? I feel like all of Edward Norton's films recently have been indie (Down in the Valley and the 25th Hour) or not marketed widely (hello, Painted Veil). I guess the Illusionist was big, but I felt it suffered compared to the Prestige. And you never saw his face in Kingdom of Heaven.

Also, Liv Tyler's breathy way of talking, while it worked in Empire Records and Lord of the Rings, really began to get on my nerves. Although I loved her quip about her lip gloss.

Sense & Sensibility. Okay - Masterpiece Theatre and not an actual film, but close enough. It was alright. I think the casting was pretty well done (hurrah for Dominic Cooper as Willoughby!) and I much preferred Dan Stevens to Hugh Grant as Edward. However, Kate Winslet made Marianne far more sympathetic and I think Emma Thompson's screenplay was better. Still, this version had sword fighting!

Linkspam:

First up, and most importantly, the first poster and image from Sam Rockwell's Moon. WHEEE! And no, I don't care if it is similar to another poster. Few posters are truly original these days.

Non-movie: Unless we get a superhero out of this who can fix the national economy and give me a pony, plutonium is bad! Also: Michael Ian Black tries to pick a fight with David Sedaris.

Also: I love these; haunting snow globes. They're very Edward Gorey. Personal faves here, here, and here.

Stan Winston passes away

Tyler Durden sings Also, Edward Norton's Fight Club PSA if you haven't already seen it.

Downey Jr. to play Cowboys and Aliens

Girls clamor for "pecked to within an inch of her life" Barbie

Oscar changes rules for foreign film, song Thank God. No more Disney medleys and hopefully we won't have a repeat of what happened in the foreign category last year.

New Joker poster It's a great poster, but a bit up close and personal I think, all things considered. I prefer the old one. And some more viral marketing. And Nestor Carbonell on LOST and the Dark Knight (ignore the headline). Yeah, didn't know he was in the Dark Knight.

Bolt poster reminds us...

New Burn After Reading Trailer Fantastic - what a great cast.

Liam Neeson in new Taken trailer

Full Mummy trailer hits I'm sorry, wasn't the last one full length?

Christian Bale as Robin Hood? Hmmm.... does casting Christian Bale cancel out Russell Crowe and Sienna Miller? Given that this is still a rumor, and Christian Bale is signed on in 2 major franchises, I think I'll stick with Jonas Armstrong and the boys for now.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is excited about GI Joe. No, really.

New Brideshead images. I'm torn between hating the story and thinking these images are fab. Also, isn't Aloysius supposed to be bigger?

New Mama Mia images Why hello there, Dominic Cooper.

The rest of the Spirit posters roll out I had no idea Sarah Paulson was in this.

At some point I need to write up the movies I've seen recently (Ratatouille, The Fountain, Fracture, The Anniversary Party) but I'm barely awake at the moment. I went downtown to check out Pride and then the subway stopped running and it took me more than 2 hours to get home and I'm completely knackered.

Predicting the Tonys Can't WAIT!! I love the Tonys. Too bad Hugh Jackman isn't hosting.

nom nom nom nom nom

New Watchmen images Just oh so excited for this. And here's the flaming man stunt.

Get Smart beats Watchmen to DVD stunt marketing There's something so wrong about that sentence.

Wall*E has the cutest fetishes It's true.

Public Enemies images All the photos taken on Johnny's 45th birthday. We're all agreed he has a mangy portrait tucked up in an attic somewhere, yes? And why have the only photos from this set been of him? Share a little love to Christian Bale, already.

Speaking of which, Christian Bale is lovely. And kudos to the interviewer for having the guts to ask, "do you feel silly playing a man who dresses up as a bat?" Also, I may have mentioned this before, but all the designer suits are so very American Psycho, which works well for Bruce Wayne's character (why yes, I did just read the Dark Knight Returns).


How long you have to finish reading The Road

Defiance poster I like the description

Miracle at Santa Ana Trailer

Benjamin Button In English!

Morning Spoilers Browse at your own risk, but read LOST's because Jorge Garcia is awesome and more importantly, check out SHIRLEY!!! (Under the Sarah Connor Chronicles)

Why the Happening is terrible; or, all of it's plot, so you don't have to watch it, too I love it. TREES. (Can I mention that, given my background in all things environmental, I love it when trees fight back? See: The Two Towers, Narnia, and Princess Mononoke. Or, I guess it was just the spirit of the forest there.)

Also; "Oops, did I not mention the Happening is supposed to be bad?"


22 twisty endings (you can choose to reveal the ending or not)


Q&A with Angelina Jolie


Free Fox Searchlight films


Vanity Fair's Blogopticon Whee!

Bottle Shock trailer


Downey Jr. as Holmes? Bad idea, BAD IDEA!


Leo as Captain America? Um.... no.


Lionsgate apparently unaware of completely stupid tiger movie

Vanfire of the Bonities

*sigh* My mad box office skills are deteriorating. 253rd this week, for a total of 74 overall. I'll basically need to win next week to crack the top 50. But then the game restarts after 10 weeks for the second half of summer.

Checked out the Scooper bowl at government center. My belly is full of ice cream (Breyer's strawberry and Garelick/Gifford's Maine wild blueberry were the best).

My brother just wandered in with; "Past the rock that looks like a long neck and the mountains that burn." My family is so weird.

Here's a backlog of links. I still have more to look through, but it'll have to do for now.

Whoa. What happened to Cinematical?

Lostesness first: LOST: 4 Open questions, The pre-finale Doc Jensen, Season 4's best 15 moments

And tv: emmy nom wishlist, Castmates who click I'll second the Doctor and Rose, House and Wilon and Ben and Locke. Little Dorritt to be made into a 15 part miniseries. Supposedly the cast is brilliant. I recognize only Matthew Macfayden and Freema from Doctor Who.

And my favorite lolcat in a long time

Page to Screen: Prisoner of Azkaban

Very positive Hulk reviews pouring in. I had to read that sentence twice. Maybe Edward Norton's involvement actually did make a huge difference?

Should the blockbuster season be longer? And more on the subject

The Changeling gets a new release date

A rewrite on Jake Gyllenhaal's moon movie
Miracle at St. Anna poster
Hollywood is burning

New Spirit poster I like this one better than the last one, which was very X2 (fine, and all, but it's a good idea to try something different. Although is this a bit Rosario Dawson in Sin City?)

Liam Neeson in film about the Troubles

13 impressive movie dresses Oh, Atonement dress. You are so pretty.

Jaime Kennedy As someone who did not see Scream 3.... WHAT NOW???

New Dutchess trailer I think the Diana bit is ridiculously stupid, but I love all the new plot details. I can't wait for this one.

Vote Dent

Ask Dr. Clive I wrote in. We'll see if it makes it on.

A moment of silence, please.