Just got back from some friends' where we talked about ReJesus-ing ourselves and then watched The Soloist. Loved it. Still thinking about it...
Also thinking about going to New Orleans during my February holiday. I love that city and it's about time I returned.
Sunday, 27 September 2009
Friday, 25 September 2009
Movies again
So I really should be going to sleep. Tomorrow's Friday (well, today is, I guess) and I only have one class and it's not that early and I don't have to work (unless someone calls in sick which could happen, since sickness is starting to go around these days and who do sick people infect? Health store workers! Actually, it's interesting being in a school environment again considering sickness. I've started popping some vitamins of my own since I noticed coughs and hacks in the class and on the bus. AND apparently, there is this undercurrent of fear over a H1N1 breakout at the school. Tsk tsk. I wasn't even thinking of it until I've heard some customers air their fears to me). I've just been watching some streaming tv (so far doing well without cable. I don't get home most nights until 10 anyway). Anyone checking out Glee? Jane Lynch is a riot, as always! Not too sure what I think of The Vampire Diaries. Feels too much like a Twilight knockoff. Although, I can see how it would be appealing for those of us looking for some kind of vampire story fix while we wait for New Moon to come out!
Anyway, still up, nothing else to watch, so thought I would blog. Another Facebook list thing came up this week and I completed it. It got me thinking and reminiscing, which can be fun. Thought I'd share. Fifteen movies off the top of my head (without taking longer than 15 minutes to think about it) that will forever stick with me. I made my list without explanation, so am in the mood to share the Whys here:
1. The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
I remember watching this around the same time I saw The Passion of the Christ. I remember feeling (and still find it to be so) that this story spoke more to me of Christ's sacrifice than did The Passion movie.
2. Romeo + Juliet
This was the first movie I ever saw in the Cinema. See previous post.
3. Friday the Thirteenth VII
I was at a sleepover for my friend's tenth birthday and this was one of the movies the girls wanted to watch. I knew that it was a movie I wouldn't be allowed to see, so one of the girls and I did something else while everyone else watched it. BUT, the next day, they were all talking about it and decided to watch it again. And I did watch it this time! I remember feeling really guilty about it for a long time.
4. Star Wars IV, V, VI
Even though my brother had an original Star Wars board game (which I now have and don't know if he realizes), I never actually saw the movies until I was about 15 on VHS. Not long after, they were digitally remastered and re-released in cinema and I went and saw them all. Again, Episode IV being the second movie I ever saw in the cinema.
5. The Lord of the Rings I, II, III
I remember the excitement of myself and my friends over these movies. I remember that Chris was visiting just in time to see The Fellowship and I remember that he did a little jig of glee in the cinema after it ended. I remember each time one was released and then when each extended edition was released, how excited everyone was. I remember a late night watching one of the extended editions for the first time at Aaron's on the very large retro tv and then getting pulled over by the cops on the way home because we drove through downtown late at night and there was a carload of us excited from the movie.
6. She's All That
What girl doesn't like makeover stories? And we know I like looking at Freddie Prinze Jr. (see previous post) I remember watching this when it came out while I was living in England.
7. The Passion of the Christ
Still of course, a memorable movie. I mostly remember when Jesus stepped on the snake.
8. A Thief in the Night, A Distant Thunder, Image of the Beast, Prodigal Planet
Ok, these should be at the top of my list. Really. As a kid I had serious fear issues and I think a lot of that was a result of seeing these movies! I'm sure if I watched them now I would find them humourous particularly because they are so clearly dated late seventies. Although, I can still remember scenes quite vividly and re-watching them may not be too pleasant. There's the young woman who goes to visit her grandma to find her missing and the phone hanging off the hook making that annoying beeping noise. There's the woman's scary friends, one with a horrible black moustache who chase her with their fancy car to the bridge atop some big dam, trying to urge her to take the mark of the beast (a UPC bar code on either your wrist or forehead so one can buy groceries). And then there's the guillotine. The one movie ends with it slamming down on a woman's head. (You don't see it, just the flash of the slam!) The series goes on and there're scary mutants in a deserted Omaha, shadows of flying scorpion creatures inflicting much pain, people safe and singing in a cave waiting for the Third Coming, etc. etc. Wow, so much to remember! Yup, I had a serious fear of being "Left Behind" and having to endure all of that.
9. Man in the Moon
I remember that my high school best friend loved this movie and I remember watching it a lot together. Always crying. Such a sad story really. And always trying to figure out which London twin was in it.
10. So I Married an Axe Murderer
You gotta have a comedy in your list, right? This is one of my favs. So quotable too. And it's annoying because my copy has been missing for awhile now.
11. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
The first Bollywood movie I watched through. And I loved it! Years later (bringing us to about last year) I found it all broken up on YouTube and watched it again. Sigh.
12. Pride and Prejudice (BBC)
Jane Austen and Colin Firth! I remember the first time I watched this--in Liverpool for Christmas--we watched it all straight through! It has since been made even more memorable after reading Bridget Jone's Diary 2 where Bridget gets the chance to interview Colin Firth (remember, this is the book before the movie actually has Colin Firth playing her love interest) and makes a mess of it because she is so obsessed with his role in P & P; particularly when he dives into the pond and comes out with a wet shirt. (The movie actually adds this interview from the book in the special features. It's pretty funny!)
Now that lists twelve, but I figured that was enough since a few of them were movie series.
Ok, I think I am ready to go to bed now.
Anyway, still up, nothing else to watch, so thought I would blog. Another Facebook list thing came up this week and I completed it. It got me thinking and reminiscing, which can be fun. Thought I'd share. Fifteen movies off the top of my head (without taking longer than 15 minutes to think about it) that will forever stick with me. I made my list without explanation, so am in the mood to share the Whys here:
1. The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
I remember watching this around the same time I saw The Passion of the Christ. I remember feeling (and still find it to be so) that this story spoke more to me of Christ's sacrifice than did The Passion movie.
2. Romeo + Juliet
This was the first movie I ever saw in the Cinema. See previous post.
3. Friday the Thirteenth VII
I was at a sleepover for my friend's tenth birthday and this was one of the movies the girls wanted to watch. I knew that it was a movie I wouldn't be allowed to see, so one of the girls and I did something else while everyone else watched it. BUT, the next day, they were all talking about it and decided to watch it again. And I did watch it this time! I remember feeling really guilty about it for a long time.
4. Star Wars IV, V, VI
Even though my brother had an original Star Wars board game (which I now have and don't know if he realizes), I never actually saw the movies until I was about 15 on VHS. Not long after, they were digitally remastered and re-released in cinema and I went and saw them all. Again, Episode IV being the second movie I ever saw in the cinema.
5. The Lord of the Rings I, II, III
I remember the excitement of myself and my friends over these movies. I remember that Chris was visiting just in time to see The Fellowship and I remember that he did a little jig of glee in the cinema after it ended. I remember each time one was released and then when each extended edition was released, how excited everyone was. I remember a late night watching one of the extended editions for the first time at Aaron's on the very large retro tv and then getting pulled over by the cops on the way home because we drove through downtown late at night and there was a carload of us excited from the movie.
6. She's All That
What girl doesn't like makeover stories? And we know I like looking at Freddie Prinze Jr. (see previous post) I remember watching this when it came out while I was living in England.
7. The Passion of the Christ
Still of course, a memorable movie. I mostly remember when Jesus stepped on the snake.
8. A Thief in the Night, A Distant Thunder, Image of the Beast, Prodigal Planet
Ok, these should be at the top of my list. Really. As a kid I had serious fear issues and I think a lot of that was a result of seeing these movies! I'm sure if I watched them now I would find them humourous particularly because they are so clearly dated late seventies. Although, I can still remember scenes quite vividly and re-watching them may not be too pleasant. There's the young woman who goes to visit her grandma to find her missing and the phone hanging off the hook making that annoying beeping noise. There's the woman's scary friends, one with a horrible black moustache who chase her with their fancy car to the bridge atop some big dam, trying to urge her to take the mark of the beast (a UPC bar code on either your wrist or forehead so one can buy groceries). And then there's the guillotine. The one movie ends with it slamming down on a woman's head. (You don't see it, just the flash of the slam!) The series goes on and there're scary mutants in a deserted Omaha, shadows of flying scorpion creatures inflicting much pain, people safe and singing in a cave waiting for the Third Coming, etc. etc. Wow, so much to remember! Yup, I had a serious fear of being "Left Behind" and having to endure all of that.
9. Man in the Moon
I remember that my high school best friend loved this movie and I remember watching it a lot together. Always crying. Such a sad story really. And always trying to figure out which London twin was in it.
10. So I Married an Axe Murderer
You gotta have a comedy in your list, right? This is one of my favs. So quotable too. And it's annoying because my copy has been missing for awhile now.
11. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
The first Bollywood movie I watched through. And I loved it! Years later (bringing us to about last year) I found it all broken up on YouTube and watched it again. Sigh.
12. Pride and Prejudice (BBC)
Jane Austen and Colin Firth! I remember the first time I watched this--in Liverpool for Christmas--we watched it all straight through! It has since been made even more memorable after reading Bridget Jone's Diary 2 where Bridget gets the chance to interview Colin Firth (remember, this is the book before the movie actually has Colin Firth playing her love interest) and makes a mess of it because she is so obsessed with his role in P & P; particularly when he dives into the pond and comes out with a wet shirt. (The movie actually adds this interview from the book in the special features. It's pretty funny!)
Now that lists twelve, but I figured that was enough since a few of them were movie series.
Ok, I think I am ready to go to bed now.
Monday, 14 September 2009
Le nord! Ou serez mangé: une revue.
J'ai aimée ça! C'est fantastique! Une histoire d'aventure magnifique!
(This morning I had my first university in-class course ever and it was French. This week is the first week of school and I am the most nervous about this course; but it was fine. Phew. This week is also the Blog Tour for Andrew Peterson’s second book in the Wingfeather Saga and I guess I should carry on the rest of this review in English.)
I finished reading North! Or Be Eaten rather quickly. It is one of those books where I can't help myself from cheating: when the suspense becomes too much, I scan ahead a couple of pages, looking for some resolution. I've always done that with books that are captivating and where I can't handle not knowing what’s going to happen. In my opinion, that’s a good thing; a story that is not predictable and that keeps me reading late into the night, because I just need to know what’s going to happen. It takes an author with a creative mind and one who has excelled in his/her own studies of the Three Great and Honoured Subjects to pull off another beautiful tale of the Lost Jewels of Anniera.
I have no idea if other women my age would like this kind of story, but (as I’ve blogged about before) it’s reads like this that balance out other not-so-pleasurable parts of one’s day—keep it light, mix in some stories of adventure, revisit what you delighted in as a kid. I just moved to my own apartment finally (after living in houses full of people for years) and I spent Labour Day unpacking about ten boxes of books! Two of these boxes had been taped up and were left over from the house I lived most of my childhood in. I have shelved them with the rest of my books (more adult reading) and I am looking forward to pulling one off every so often to lighten things up! Ooh ooh, I just thought: I should get TinTin actually in French—great children’s adventure stories AND kind of like studying for school.
In my apartment building are some friends who have sons. Admittedly, a few of them don’t enjoy reading, but I am going to lend Book One and Book Two to the mom to try reading with them. I am certain that they will soon be absorbed—the short chapters are bound to help too.
I’ve never written a book review before, but since this is my blog, I think it must be ok to intersperse my book thoughts with my life thoughts. As is surely the sign of a good book, book texts align with life texts and I found the text from North! Or Be Eaten that resonated with my life the most came from Peet the Sock Man, as he was reverting more and more to himself as Artham P. Wingfeather.
“…the darkness is seldom complete, and even when it is, the pinprick of light is not long in coming—and finer for the great shroud that surrounds it.”
My blog has sometimes been a place where I have shared about difficult life things. I can recall not being particularly happy with the passing of one bad year onto the next, but having just passed my twenty-ninth birthday, I am actually feeling really happy about a new season. The Light has always been there and fortunately…je la veux!
(This morning I had my first university in-class course ever and it was French. This week is the first week of school and I am the most nervous about this course; but it was fine. Phew. This week is also the Blog Tour for Andrew Peterson’s second book in the Wingfeather Saga and I guess I should carry on the rest of this review in English.)
I finished reading North! Or Be Eaten rather quickly. It is one of those books where I can't help myself from cheating: when the suspense becomes too much, I scan ahead a couple of pages, looking for some resolution. I've always done that with books that are captivating and where I can't handle not knowing what’s going to happen. In my opinion, that’s a good thing; a story that is not predictable and that keeps me reading late into the night, because I just need to know what’s going to happen. It takes an author with a creative mind and one who has excelled in his/her own studies of the Three Great and Honoured Subjects to pull off another beautiful tale of the Lost Jewels of Anniera.
I have no idea if other women my age would like this kind of story, but (as I’ve blogged about before) it’s reads like this that balance out other not-so-pleasurable parts of one’s day—keep it light, mix in some stories of adventure, revisit what you delighted in as a kid. I just moved to my own apartment finally (after living in houses full of people for years) and I spent Labour Day unpacking about ten boxes of books! Two of these boxes had been taped up and were left over from the house I lived most of my childhood in. I have shelved them with the rest of my books (more adult reading) and I am looking forward to pulling one off every so often to lighten things up! Ooh ooh, I just thought: I should get TinTin actually in French—great children’s adventure stories AND kind of like studying for school.
In my apartment building are some friends who have sons. Admittedly, a few of them don’t enjoy reading, but I am going to lend Book One and Book Two to the mom to try reading with them. I am certain that they will soon be absorbed—the short chapters are bound to help too.
I’ve never written a book review before, but since this is my blog, I think it must be ok to intersperse my book thoughts with my life thoughts. As is surely the sign of a good book, book texts align with life texts and I found the text from North! Or Be Eaten that resonated with my life the most came from Peet the Sock Man, as he was reverting more and more to himself as Artham P. Wingfeather.
“…the darkness is seldom complete, and even when it is, the pinprick of light is not long in coming—and finer for the great shroud that surrounds it.”
My blog has sometimes been a place where I have shared about difficult life things. I can recall not being particularly happy with the passing of one bad year onto the next, but having just passed my twenty-ninth birthday, I am actually feeling really happy about a new season. The Light has always been there and fortunately…je la veux!
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