Musings on films

Saw IV: Why oh why do I still go to the theatre to watch this shit series? This one was better than the third but it still ended poorly. Argh, a waste of money.

Things We Lost in the Fire: A very good if not great film. The film does have two exceptional performances from Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro (probably one of the best acting jobs of the year of this dude). The script is great but I just didn't fall head over heels for this film.

American Gangster: A remarkable and stunning gangster epic given to us by director Ridley Scott (Matchstick Men, Kingdom of Heaven, Black Hawk Down). Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe to go toe to toe as villain and hero and they don't even meet until the end of the movie! It's almost 3 hours but man, does it pass by! One of the best films of the year.

30 Days of Night: Too much style but not enough substance. It kinda sucks (pun really intended) but Danny Huston does give a great performance as the leader of the vampires.

Rendition: It stars Jake Gyllenhaal (Academy Award nominee), Reese Witherspoon (Academy Award winner), Peter Sarsgaard (Golden Globe nominee), Alan Arkin (Academy Award winner), and Meryl Streep (multiple Academy Award winner) and directed by Gavin Hood (Academy Award winner)............all those trophies....but did it suck so bad? Oh yeah, torture is bad. Torture is bad, torture is bad, um....okay, I get the fucking point but why does it still suck? I don't know but I did fall asleep for 1 minute during this film and I rarely sleep when I watch films.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: Man, did I want to love this movie. I did love this movie but only some scenes. At its best, it's beautiful, brilliant, and intriguing. At it's worst, it's frustratingly slow and meandering. But man, did Casey Affleck do a fucking great job during this film. He fucking deserves the Academy Award supporting actor award for this performance alone. Brad Pitt was okay but all he did was speaking a sentence and look off at the distance for two minutes before talking again. The cinematography is indeed fucking beautiful as was the score (among the best of the year) but sometimes it's just so goddamn slow that it leads nowhere only to be jump started a great scene. The most disappointing great film of the year.

Gone Baby Gone: Wow, what a directorial debut by Ben Assfleck. Another great performance by his little bro Casey. The ending was fucking great and one of the best endings of the year. It's not a twist ending but one that questions morality. How is the right thing actually right when it is in some cases the wrong thing to do? I found this to be better than Mystic River (which this movie is based off Dennis Lehane's other book of the same name). It digs into the underbelly of Boston's seedy neighborhoods. This is one of the better films of the year.

Just woke up and I can't fucking sleep.

And the worst part is that I think my dad is not going to work again. My mom tells me that he may not go to work just because of one thing: his tooth hurts. Well, if he brushed his teeth everyday twice a day he wouldn't have a problem. The problem is that he doesn't even brush his teeth. He just uses this water jet thing and he only uses it right before his dentist appointment.

Again, FUCK.

Hey Chrissie, thoughts?

Is my dad stupid or just, um, stupid?

Some stuff.

I really, really hate the new Linkin Park music video for "Shadow of the Day". It's a fucking Clive Owen away from being Children of Men. The visuals don't make fucking sense, and on top of that, they use too many sound effects. Less is more, people! Um, did they forget that it takes away from the music? Whoever directed that music video should be shot.

I really hate teachers who treat their students like shit. The best teachers are the ones that treat their students like actual people and not like some dumbshits. We're there to learn, you dumb fucks, because sometimes we don't know what the fuck you're talking about! Don't just fucking tell us to just read the book. There's a reason why I'm fucking paying money.

I think my dad is one sick day away from having no more sick days. I bet he's gonna regret it.

Steak and Shake is still awesome. If you come to America, go to Steak and Shake: Your starting point for getting fat.

I really, really hate Britney Spears new song. I wouldn't mind it if only they didn't fucking play it so many times on MTV or VH1. I really hate it when I try to switch to the other channel just to see the same fucked up video.

Ratatouille is still the best film of 2007. Watched it earlier today.

If girls had their Rachael Yamagata, the guys have Elliott Smith. There's nothing like making music about taking heroin and going to rehab and making it sound so beautiful (download "True Love" for the heroin and rehab song).

Thanks to Jorge's gf for letting me rip John Mayer, Matchbox Twenty, Incubus, and Goo Goo Dolls.

I bought my first iPod. It came today but my fat ass wasn't here to pick it up so it's coming tomorrow.

I also bought my first pair of Ultimate Ears for school. They cost a shocking $1,200. Look up Ultimate Ears online. You'll want to kill someone just to get one.

I would really like that Colbie Caillat song if only she didn't say "Will you count me in?" at the goddamn beginning. That part just really fucks me up. She doesn't even sing it, she says it. It's a pretty song but just shut up before the song begins. It's like Mike Shinoda saying, "Get 'em Jay" in that "Encore/Numb" song. I hate it and if they could only stop doing it.

I gots a crush on Ingrid Michaelson. She's the chick who sings that Old Navy sweater song. It's like she's a mix of Regina Spektor and Lisa Loeb if they had a baby. Mozzie, you gotta play this song. It sounds like your type of music.

To some Radiohead fans, FUCK YOU!

I can't believe so many people are bitching about the sound quality of Radiohead's new album. They complain that the bit rate is so low or that it didn't give them much time to cancel their orders because the bitrate is so low. Well, what did they expect when they were given the choice to actually PAY for the album? Before ordering, it even said on the website TWICE that it would be your choice to actually pay for the album.

Two days ago, I received an e-mail saying that I will be downloading 10 160 kbps mp3s. For Radiohead, this is not good enough. BUT THEN AGAIN, IF YOU WANTED TO GIVE MONEY, YOU WEREN'T FORCED TO!!!!! And I didn't pay shit for the downloads.

Their songs are densely layered that every nuance must be heard on every track. But because I already purchased the discbox (coming December 3rd) I really didn't give a shit. All I wanted was some new fucking Radiohead. Well, I got new Radiohead and 'tis fucking brilliant. It's their best since OK Computer. Kid A was frustrating but sometimes perfect, Amnesiac I didn't know what the fuck they were doing, and Hail to the Thief meandered a lot with only a few gems thrown in.

It would be even better if the website had the actual 24-bit/96 kHz studio masters encoded onto FLAC. Now that would be amazing!

Jesus Christ, the new Radiohead album is so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so GOOD!

And I bought the $80 discbox.

"I'm damaged bad at best"

I'm so lazy to type nowadays.
I just want to go to the Philippines like now, I mean, right now.
I wish I was finished with school and now it seems I'm graduating in the summer rather than May because the AVM III class is being dropped in the Spring because no one is teaching it.
I've been watching movies the past few weeks.

Into the Wild is a great, great film. I don't cry a lot at the movies but this one made me cry a lot. Throughout the crowd, I could hear almost everyone crying. Even some of the old geezers were crying. And yes, even some of the guys were crying too. The ending is such a rush of emotion. I'm still thinking about it now. The words that the main character, Christopher McCandless, writes are just so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes. I didn't always agree with McCandless' idealistic ways but I loved his journey from beginning to end. Sean Penn (yes, Sean "Mystic River" Penn) directed the film with such beauty and power I couldn't let my eyes off the screen. The movie is quite long (150 minutes) but the acting from Emile Hirsch (who plays McCandless), Catherine Keener, and especially Hal Halbrook is definitely superb. There's one scene between Chris and Hal's Ron that made me die a little bit inside. And man, the last shot (a photograph of the real McCandless), will forever be burned in my memory. Beside Eastern Promises and Ratatouille, this is among the best films of the year. With American Gangster, No Country for Old Men, Michael Clayton, and others coming up, Oscar season, I'm ready.

And there's nothing like watching 28 Weeks Later in true 1080p HD goodness. What a great sequel that's not as good as the original but it's still good nonetheless.

I've been listening to a lot of music as well from Elliott Smith to (gasp!) Kanye West. Yes, I've been listening to Kanye's album and I'd have to say that it is a pretty good album. The best track from Graduation has to be "Homecoming" a duet with Chris Martin of Coldplay. It has to be the next single because it's really a great track.

I've been a recent fan of Elliott Smith since last year but until now, I've never understood his cult-like popularity. His songs are so wonderfully written, beautifully recorded, and amazing played. His darkest songs like the bleak and haunting, "True Love" or "Abused", or his sweetest ("Say Yes", "Waltz #2 (XO)") are written with so much personality and color that it's sad that he died 4 years ago. I've been watching some of his videos on Youtube and you could see that he hated his celebrity status. He just loved playing music and with every performance it truly shows. With so much shit-pop these days, it's refreshing listening to an artist that not only performed with TRUE emotion but also with an artistry that's missing these days. And one more note, he played every instrument on every one of his albums. Hey Timberlake, playing three chords on the guitar doesn't fucking mean you can play guitar.

Also been listening to the new Foo Fighters album titled Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace. I think it's even better than their last album, In Your Honor, because it is much more focused, the writing is tighter, and on some tracks Grohl's voice is filtered or EQ'd to hell. I think that it's still poorly mastered though.

My recommended playlist (these are the ones I must play everyday):
Elliott Smith ~ "Waltz #2 (XO)", "Thirteen", "Pitseleh", "Twilight"
Rilo Kiley - "Silver Lining" (A great fucking song. I've never heard Jenny's voice sound so beautiful)
Kanye West - "Homecoming"
Foo Fighters - "Home"
Against Me! - "Thrash Unreal"