Flair

I'm still among the living; I've just been taking a much-needed break from blogging. I've been doing some fun reading. :)

My priorities have shifted a bit. I'm doing the exercise thing, a little writing and reading, going out with friends. After seeing Office Space, I started collecting pieces of flair. Here's one of my latest finds.



I like it. :)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

July is always a busy month at work, but the 12-hour days are behind me, at least for now. Since I finally have energy and time, I thought I'd share my thoughts about the new Pirates movie. I won't go into detail about the plot, but I will give away a couple of things to explain my point, so please stop reading now if you want to avoid spoilers.

First of all, I liked it. There are some terrific funny moments, lots of action, and lots of Orlando--never a bad thing in my book. Overall, I enjoyed the movie and am looking forward to the next installment.

I did have a few problems, though. One of the things I really, really liked about the first movie was the fact that Elizabeth was able to see through Jack. She didn't dislike him, but she knew what kind of man he was. I loved how she used what she knew about him against him, such as when they were stuck on the island together. Scenes like this made me think of her as clever and astute, two things that made her a heroine I liked.

In Dead Man's Chest, we see a different Elizabeth, one who is fascinated by Jack and/or the pirate life. You can certainly argue about the level of her fascination, but it's there, like it or not. In my case, I didn't like it. I thought it changed her character in a disappointing way. I'm not sure how it will play out, but I'll go to the third movie feeling a bit cautious, I think.

Then there's the ending. I won't go into detail about how this installment concluded, but I can't call this a feel-good movie. As I mentioned, it was action-packed and funny (with more darker moments than in the first movie), but I was frustrated by the fact that not one thing was resolved by the end. Everything is up in the air. I don't have a problem with cliffhangers on principle, but I would have felt considerably better about the movie if there had been a tiny bit of resolution somewhere.

Ah, well. I'll still go see the next movie, but I can't say I'll go into it with high hopes. From what I've seen online, I suspect my mixed feelings about the movie put me in the minority. Anyone else have similar thoughts about it?

A Unique Approach

I suspect that I am not a conventional movie renter. Here's my approach to renting movies:

Step 1: Start thinking about how it would be great to rent some movies. Then wait until that desire increases 10 times.

Step 2: Go to Hollywood Video (I don't like Blockbuster) and spend a minimum of one hour selecting movies.

Step 3: Come home and watch one of the movies.

Step 4: Remind myself on day two that I have five days to watch the movies, so I can watch the rest at leisure.

Step 5: Remind myself on day four that I need to watch the rest of the movies so I can return them. Decide I'm not in the mood to watch movies.

Step 6: Watch as many of the movies as I have time for on day five.

Step 7: Return the movies to Hollywood Video even though I haven't seen all of them OR keep them for an extra five days (incurring a late fee), hoping that I will be in the mood to watch the movies later.

When it comes to step 7, I usually take the latter approach. This time around, though, I went for the former. I'm delighted to say that I made it through three of the four movies: The Heart of Me, Red, and The Forgotten. Napoleon Dynamite will have to wait until next time.

Alyssa

Return of the King

I bought the extended version of Return of the King on DVD yesterday. Tonight I watched the first half. So far I'm enjoying it. I especially like the added scenes with Denethor and Faramir. The sacrifice of Faramir scene is my favorite; I think it is particularly well done. Watching the movie reminded me how much I love the music. I think a replay of the soundtrack is in order.

To commemorate the first half of the extended edition, I'm posting a link to my autographed picture of Orlando Bloom (Legolas). That man is beautiful.

{Picture edited out so it stops coming up on web searches}

This might be a good time to mention my autograph collection. I have hundreds of autographs that I've collected over 7-8 years. I used to write to celebrities, and I received dozens of autographs through the mail. These days I usually buy them or get them in person (when I'm lucky enough to do so). I bought this one of Orlando.

Alyssa

To Joaquin Phoenix

Dear Joaquin,

I saw Ladder 49 last night and wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed it. What a powerful film! I loved your performance in the movie and in The Village--both were very intense dramas.

You know that I adore you. I have just one question. If I ask nicely, will you please, please, please do a romantic comedy next? Another drama may kill me.

Alyssa

Saturday: Camera Woes and The Village

On Saturday I had my annual Halloween party for my nieces and nephew. It was a hit, mainly because I had a lot of structured activities. Last year's party was very informal and not as fun. I learned my lesson.

The bad news is that I'm having problems with my camera. A certain light was blinking, which indicates either "low battery" or "take it in for repairs." I tried the repair route several weeks ago, but they said that their tests indicated that nothing was wrong. So I tried again and got that stupid blinking light. It blinks even when I use new batteries. Clearly there is a problem, but they can't figure out what it is. GRRR. I do have another camera, but I can't find it. This entire thing is frustrating.

Saturday night I went to see The Village. I typically wait until movies are available on DVD before I see them, but I saw this movie in the theatre because (1) I've never seen an M. Night Shyamalan movie in the theatre and thought it was time to do so; and (2) Joaquin Phoenix. It was definitely interesting--better than I expected after hearing reviews but still problematic.

I'm going to talk about different plot elements from the movie. I'll try to be cryptic, but if you want to avoid spoilers, stop reading NOW.

Joaquin (who plays Lucius) was beautiful. I'm prejudiced because I've loved his work in other movies, such as Inventing the Abbotts, and he's just lovely to look at. Still, I think he does a great job with this role, as does Bryce Dallas Howard (as Ivy).

The movie is also well directed. I particularly enjoyed the way hands are a central image in the story. The way Lucius takes Ivy's hand to help and guide her is sweet. I suspect I will remember these images, as I remember the moment in Persuasion when Anne sees Captain Wentworth for the first time in years, and her hand grips a chair.

As for the plot: I like how you start watching the movie thinking it's about one thing and it ends up being about something else. I had a feeling that the woods were used to keep people in the village, but I didn't guess the extent or the reasons behind it. I was also surprised by the two pivotal moments with Adrien Brody (Noah). The second one (in the woods) shouldn't have surprised me, but it did.

Still, this is my least favorite of Shyamalan's movies (Unbreakable is my favorite). I felt a bit like I'd been put through the wringer when I left the theatre. First, there's the shocking moment between Lucius and Noah--it's nicely filmed and acted, but wow. I woke up in the middle of the night with that image in my head, and it wasn't fun. Powerful, maybe, but not fun.

My biggest issues, though, are ones that deal with unanswered questions. The movie implies that only a few key people know the secret of the village, but I don't understand how that can be the case. Many of the outdoor scenes show the large number of people in the village. If it was started by the smaller core group, how did the group get to be so large in such a small amount of time? Or do all of the "adults" know? If so, how do they manage to keep it a secret for so long?

Then, there's the medicine issue. Perhaps the villagers prefer the simpler way of life that the 1900s represents, but why, why, why wouldn't they take advantage of modern medicine? OK, I guess you don't want to have a modern hospital, but why not a cabinet with medicine? Why wouldn't they have it on hand? Yes, the village was created as a crime-free haven, but accidents happen. I simply couldn't get past this, and in fact, felt kind of angry about it.

Ah, well. The Village was interesting, but I doubt that I will see it again. I have four movie passes I need to use by the end of the year, though, so I'll have to see what's coming out soon. I want to see Ladder 49 at some point, but I'm not ready yet for another Joaquin-in-danger movie. (If you've seen it, please DON'T tell me how it ends.)

As for a reading update, I've just submitted a review to The Romance Reader and I'm starting another one. I've read a few books this weekend, and I'll provide a report in the next few days.

Alyssa